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RECOLLECTIONS 


OF 


MEXICO. 


BY  WADDY  THOMPSON,  ESQ., 

LATE  ENVOY  EXTRAORDINARY  AND  MINISTER  PLENIPOTENTIARY 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  MEXICO. 


NEW  YORK  & LONDON. 

WILEY  AND  PUTNAM. 


1846. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1846,  by 
WILEY  AND  PUTNAM, 

in  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


JR,  Cbaiqhead's  Power  Press 


112  Pulton  Street. 


T.  B.  Smith,  Stereotyper, 
216  William  Street. 


TO  THE  HON.  W . C.  PRESTON. 


My  dear  Preston  : 

I inscribe  this  volume  to  you  in  testimony  of  a friendship  contracted 
when  we  were  room-mates  in  college,  and  which  has  continued  to  increase 
until  the  shadows  of  evening  begin  to  fall  upon  our  path. 

Faithfully  your  friend, 


WADDY  THOMPSON. 


PREFACE 


I have  yielded  with  a good  deal  of  reluctance  to  the  importunities  of 
many  of  my  friends  in  consenting  to  devote  the  little  leisure  which  is  left 
me  from  professional  and  other  avocations,  to  writing  the  following 
pages.  No  thought  of  such  a thing  ever  occurred  to  me  during  my 
residence  in  Mexico,  or  I should  have  supplied  myself,  as  I had  abundant 
means  of  doing,  with  the  materials  for  such  a work.  The  book,  there- 
fore, will  be  . found  to  contain  just  what  its  title  imports — “ Recollections 
and  Desultory  Dissertations.”  The  reader  must  not  expect  the  life  and 
freshness  of  a finished  picture,  but  mere  sketches  and  outlines — nor  that 
minute  exactness  of  detail  on  many  subjects  which  may  be  desirable, 
although  I believe  that  the  sketches  will  be  found  to  be  generally  accu- 
rate ; I can  say  in  the  words  of  an  affidavit  to  an  answer  in  chancery, 
“that  the  facts  stated  as  of  my  own  knowledge  are  true,  and  those 
stated  on  the  information  of  others  I believe  to  be  true.”  I am  not 
sure,  however,  that  a description  of  the  customs,  scenes,  and  peculiar- 
ities of  a country  is  not  generally  the  better  for  being  written  a year  or 
two  after  the  writer  has  left  it.  The  want  of  exactness  in  minute  par- 
ticulars is  compensated  by  the  absence  of  a sometimes  wearisome  tedious- 
ness of  detail,  and  often  of  circumstances  of  interest  only  to  the  writer. 
And  it  is  perhaps  also  true  that  the  general  remembrance — a sort  of 
skeleton  map  which  is  left  on  the  mind  of  the  writer  will  give  to  the 
reader  a more  accurate  coup  d’ccil  of  the  country  and  all  its  peculiarities, 
physical  and  social,  than  a more  minute  description.  Before  I went  to 
Mexico  I sought  in  vain  for  some  work  which  would  give  me  some  idea 
of  the  society,  manners,  and  customs  of  that  unique,  and,  in  a great  de- 
gree, primitive  people.  This  want  has  been  since  supplied.  I could  have 


VI 


PREFACE. 


dilated  these  sketches  to  an  almost  indefinite  extent,  but  I have  endeavored 
to  avoid  tediousness  and  drivelling,  and  have  therefore  omited  to  notice 
many  things  which  at  first  struck  me  as  very  strange.  I have  visited 
no  other  Catholic  country ; but  to  one  educated  in  the  unostentatious 
purity  and  simplicity  of  the  Protestant  religion,  there  is  something  very 
striking  in  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  the  Catholic  ritual  as  it  exists  in 
Mexico,  and  I must  say  something  equally  revolting  in  its  disgusting 
mummeries  and  impostures,  which  degrade  the  Christian  religion  into 
an  absurd,  ridiculous,  and  venal  superstition.  If  such  things  are  not 
practised  in  other  Catholic  countries,  why,  then  the  priests  of  Mexico 
are  alone  responsible ; but  if  these  things  are  not  confined  to  Mexico,  the 
sooner  and  more  generally  they  are  exposed  the  better. 

It  is  equally  true  of  nations  as  of  individuals,  that  those  who  are  not 
entirely  assured  of  a well-established  and  unquestioned  position,  are 
peculiarly  sensitive  to  criticism,  however  kindly  meant  or  respectfully 
expressed.  Of  no  people  in  the  world  is  this  more  true  than  of  the 
Mexicans.  They  understand  perfectly  their  true  position  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  world,  notwithstanding  their  characteristic  vaunting  and 
gasconade.  I think  that  it  is  generally  true  that  men  are  most  apt  to 
boast  of  qualities  which  they  are  conscious  of  not  possessing.  The 
Mexican  character  has  much  that  is  good  in  it,  but  very  much  also  that 
is  bad.  In  bearing  testimony  to  the  former,  I cannot  be  silent  as  to  the 
latter — for  indiscriminate  praise  is  in  its  effects  censure.  My  fault 
has  been  much  more  that  of  extenuation  than  “ setting  down 
aught  in  malice” — the  latter  would  be  impossible,  for  I was  treated 
with  so  much  kindness  by  people  of  all  classes,  from  the  lepero  in  the 
streets  up  to  the  President,  that  it  would  be  a source  of  deep  pain  to  me 
to  know  that  I had  wantonly  wounded  the  feelings  of  any  one  person  in 
the  broad  circumference  of  the  Republic.  I assure  them  in  all  sincerity 
that  I take  a deep  interest  in  their  continued  advances  in  the  great 
career  of  civil  liberty,  and  their  ultimate  success  in  establishing  Repub- 
lican institutions  on  a permanent  basis.  God  grant  them  success,  both 
on  their  own  account  as  well  as  for  the  great  cause  in  which  they  have 
so  long  struggled,  and  under  circumstances  so  discouraging. 


February  2,  1846. 


THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  from  New  Orleans — Peak  of  Orizaba — St.  Juan  de  Ulloa — 

City  of  Vera  Cruz — The  Vomito — Condition  of  the  Negro  Popula- 
tion— Mexican  system  of  Servitude — New  Custom  House — Mexican 
and  American  contrasts 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Line  of  Stages  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico — Noble  Disinterested- 
ness of  an  American  Stage  Driver — Vera  Cruz  to  Jalapa — Miscel- 
laneous Hints — Property  of  Santa  Anna  in  Jalapa — Great  beauty 
of  its  situation — Perote 10 

CHAPTER  III. 

Route  to  Puebla — Cultivation  of  the  Soil— The  Maguey — Pulque — Pri- 
mitive Plough — Indifference  to  Agricultural  Wealth — Robbers  on 
the  Road — Execution  by  the  Garote — Gaming  an  Incentive  to  Rob- 
bery— Singular  Story  of  a Robber 15 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Puebla  the  Lowell  of  Mexico — Obstacles  to  Manufactures — City  of 
Cholula — Incredibility  of  Cortes’  Narrative — First  sight  of  the  Val- 
ley of  Mexico — Description  of  the  Valley — Neglect  of  resources  in 
the  supply  of  the  Capital — Arrieros 27 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Cify  of  Mexico — The  Palace — Cathedral — Wealth  of  the  Church — 
Masses,  a Productive  System  of  Revenue — The  Streets  and  Build- 
ings of  Mexico — Curious  Position  of  Stables — Inundations  of  the  City  37 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Early  visit  to  Mr.  Kendall,  of  the  Santa  Fe  Expedition — Death  of 
the  wife  of  Santa  Anna — Presentation  to  Santa  Anna — Historical 
Sketch — Career  of  Santa  Anna — Victoria 51 


VI 11 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Official  and  Private  Intercourse  with  Santa  Anna — Santa  Anna’s  First 
Interview  with  General  Jackson — His  Explanation  of  the  Massacre 
of  the  Alamo — Decimation  of  the  Prisoners  of  Mier — Anecdotes  of 
Gratitude  and  Humanity  in  Santa  Anna — Character  of  Santa  Anna. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Public  Characters  of  Mexico — M.  Bocanegra — Triqueros — Tornel — 
Paredes — Valencia — Count  Cortina — Bustamente — Gomez  Farrias — 
Almonte — Cuevas,  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Public  Release  of  Texian  Prisoners — General  spirit  of  Kindness  to 
them — Their  Work  in  the  Public  Streets — Anecdotes  of  Virtue  and 
Disinterestedness  on  the  part  of  the  Prisoners. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Catholic  Ceremonies — Procession  of  the  Host — Corpus  Christi  Day — 
Our  Lady  of  Remedies — Connection  of  the  Image  with  the  early 
History  of  Mexico— Present  state  of  its  Worship 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Religious  Drama — “ Mystery”  of  the  Nativity — The  Virgin  of  Guada- 
loupe — Sincerity  of  Mexican  Churchmen  exhibited  in  a Scene  of 
Penance — Morality  of  the  Clergy 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Museum — Old  Indian  Weapons  at  the  period  of  the  Conquest — 
Hieroglyphics — Armor  of  Cortes — Journal  of  Bernal  Diaz — Pedro 
de  Alvarado — The  Stone  of  Sacrifice 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  New  Theatre — Market — Alameda — ThePaseo — Aqueducts — Wa- 
ter Carriers — Drones — Great  National  Pawn  Shop — A Necklace  of 
Pearls — Four  Diamond  Rings — Anecdotes  of  a Revolutionary  country 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Gambling  Festival  of  St.  Augustin — Cock-fighting — Anecdotes  of 
Mexican  Honesty — Visit  to  the  city  of  Tezcuco — Mexican  Horses 
— Pyramids — Ruins — An  Indian  Inn — Extraordinary  Ruin 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Scientific  Institutions-^-Mineria— Academy  of  Fine  Arts — Absence  of 
Benevolent  Institutions — Health  of  the  Climate — Freedom  from 
Intemperance — Fruits— Education  of  the  Common  People 


66 

82 

92 

101 

110 

116 

125 

132 

132 


CONTENTS. 


ix 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Diplomatic  Position  upon  entering  Mexico — Fellow  Travellers — 
Friendship  with  Englishmen — Aversion  of  Englishmen  to  General 
Jackson 154 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Kindness  and  Courtesy— Society  of  Dinner  Parties  and  Entertainments 
— Mexican  Ladies  wanting  in  Beauty — Do  not  dance  well — Charity — 
Routine  of  daily  Life — Costliness  of  Dress— In  the  Streets — Women 
generally  Smoke — A day  in  the  Country 160 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Congress  of  Deputies — Patriotism— The  Army — Undisciplined  Troops 
— The  Lasso,  an  Instrument  of  Warfare — Mexican  and  American 
Cavalry — Mode  of  Recruiting  the  Army — Texian  Conflicts  with  the 
Mexicans 167 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Review  of  Mexican  History  since  the  Revolution — Provisions  of  the 
Constitution  of  Tacubaya — Departments  of  Government — Powers 
and  Duties  of  the  various  Officers — Free  Institutions  without  the 
Spirit  of  Freedom 178 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Want  of  Statistics — Census — Amount  of  Exports— Specie  Exported 
— Excessive  Taxation — Taxes  on  Internal  Commerce — Tobacco 
Monopoly — Peculation — Table  of  Revenues — Dilapidation  of  the 
large  Estates 187 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Prohibition  of  Raw  Cotton — Attempts  to  procure  a Modification  of  this 
Policy — Public  Debt  of  Mexico — Mines  of  the  Precious  Metals — 
Present  Productiveness — Undeveloped  Resources — Capacities  of 
Mexico  if  inhabited  by  the  people  of  the  United  States 201 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Want  of  Navigable  Streams  in  Mexico — Railroad  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
Mexico — Valley  of  the  Mississippi — Mineral  and  Vegetable  Pro- 
ductions— Cotton — Rice — Wax — Silk — Manufactures  of  Cotton — 
Mechanic  Arts 205 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A Miscellany  Chapter — Three  Lions  of  Mexico — Calendar  Stone — 
Burial  Ground  of  Santa  Maria— The  Paseo — Santa  Anna’s  Coach 


X 


CONTENTS. 


driven  by  an  American — Reflections — Mexican  Carriages — Costly 
Equipage — Mexican  Women  on  Horseback— The  Theatre — The 
Bull  Fight — Mean  Temperature— Character  of  the  Mexicans,  by 
Clavigero 212 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Adjustment  of  American  Claims — Order  for  the  Expulsion  of  Ameri- 
cans from  California  Rescinded — Various  Negotiations — Anecdote 
of  Santa  Anna’s  love  of  Cock-fighting 223 

CHAPTER  XXV 

The  California  Question — Captain  Suter’s  Settlement — Value  of  the 
Country — Importance  to  the  United  States — English  Influence  in 
Mexico — Annexation  of  Mexican  Provinces  to  the  United  States — 
Present  Relations , . 232 

Conclusion . . 242 

APPENDIX. 

Translation  from  the  True  History  of  the  Conquest  of  New  Spain,  by 

Bernal  Diaz 252 

Passage  relating  to  General  Victoria 274 

The  Execution  of  Morelos 277 

Letter  of  General  Jackson  in  Reference  to  a Texian  Prisoner. ........  279 

Diplomatic  Correspondence. 284 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  from  New  Orleans — Peak  of  Orizaba — St.  Juan  de  Ulloa — City 
of  Vera  Cruz — The  Vomito — Condition  of  the  Negro  Population — Mexi- 
can system  of  Servitude — New  Custom  House — Mexican  and  American, 
contrasts. 

Not  finding,  on  my  arrival  at  New  Orleans,  the  vessel 
which  had  been  ordered  there  to  carry  me  to  Vera  Cruz, 
and  aware  of  the  deep  and  general  interest  which  was 
felt  in  the  fate  of  the  Texan  prisoners  of  the  Santa  Fe 
Expedition,  I determined  to  avail  myself  of  the  first  con- 
veyance which  presented  itself.  The  revenue  cutter 
Woodbury  was  politely  offered  me  by  the  Collector  of 
the  port  of  New  Orleans,  which  I gladly  accepted.  The 
fine  sailing  qualities  of  this  admirable  little  vessel,  and  the 
kindness  of  its  excellent  and  most  skilful  officers,  Capt. 
Nones  and  Lieutenants  Faunce  and  Wilson,  left  me  no 
cause  to  regret  this  determination.  We  left  New  Orleans 
on  the  2d  of  April,  1842,  and  on  the  9th  were  in  sight  of  the 
Peak  of  Orizaba : but,  from  adverse  winds,  and  no  winds  at 
all,  we  did  not  enter  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz  until  the  10th, 
when  we  anchored  under  the  walls  of  the  ‘famous  castle 
of  St.  Juan  de  Ulloa.  Few  sights  can  be  more  grand  and 
imposing  than  the  mountain  of  Orizaba,  as  seen  from  the 
2 


2 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  I. 


sea.  The  elevation  of  this  mountain  above  the  level  of 
the  sea  is,  according  to  Humboldt,  17,400  feet.  All  above 
the  height  of  15,092  feet  is  covered  with  snow — for  that 
is  the  point  at  which,  in  that  latitude,  the  region  of  perpetual 
snow  begins.  Clavijero,  who  is  in  general  to  be  relied 
upon,  says  that  this  mountain  is  without  any  doubt  the  highest 
point  of  the  territory  of  Mexico  ; but  in  this  he  is  mistaken 
- — subsequent  more  accurate  observations  and  calculations 
have  shown  that  PopocateptI,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city  of  Mexico,  has  an  elevation  of  17,900  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  Orizaba  is  a volcanic  mountain.  In  the 
year  1545  it  emitted  smoke  and  ashes ; but  since  that  time 
there  has  been  no  eruption  of  any  sort.  It  is  about  fifty 
miles  from  the  coast,  and  may  be  seen  at  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  at  sea.  The  first  view  which 
3 had  of  it  was  literally  a glimpse,  for  it  was  difficult  to 
-distinguish  the  mountain  from  the  clouds  which  surrounded 
it.  I can  conceive  of  nothing  which  conveys  more  of  the 
sublime  and  beautiful  than  this  lofty  mountain,  “ with  its 
diadem  of  snow,”  seen  from  on  board  a ship  of  war ; a 
union  of  all  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  a lofty  mountain 
with  the  vastness  and  power  of  the  ocean,  and  the  symmetry 
and  beauty  of  one  of  the  noblest  structures  of  man. 

The  little  island  of  St.  Juan  de  Ulloa,  which  is  entirely 
^covered  with  the  fortress,  is  some  five  or  six  hundred  yards 
.from  the  mole  at  Vera  Cruz,  between  which  points  all  the 
commercial  shipping  anchors.  It  can  scarcely  be  called  a 
harbor,  but  an  open  road,  like  most  of  the  others  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  frequently  occurs  that  violent  north 
winds  (called  “ los  nortes,”  or  northers)  drive  the  vessels  on 
shore,  and  seriously  injure  the  mole  itself.  Vessels  of  war 
of  other  nations  anchor  about  three  miles  below,  near  the 
. island  of  Sacrifices.  A very  narrow  channel  affords  the 


CHAP.  I.] 


ST.  JUAN  DE  ULLOA. 


3 


only  passage  for  vessels  of  war,  which  must  of  necessity 
pass  immediately  under  the  guns  of  the  fort.  The  fortress 
of  St.  Juan  de  Ulloa  has  always  been  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  strongest  in  the  world.  With  a proper  armament 
and  competent  engineers,  I should  regard  it  as  almost 
impregnable,  if  indeed  that  term  can  now  be  with  truth 
applied  to  any  place  after  the  recent  inventions  and  im- 
provements in  this  department  of  military  science.  When 
it  was  blown  up  in  1839,  by  the  French,  the  armament 
was  in  a most  wretched  condition,  and  as  to  scientific  engi- 
neers and  artillerists,  there  were  none.  Even  then  it 
would  not  have  been  so  much  of  a holiday  affair  as  it  was, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  accidental  explosion  of  the  maga- 
zine. Any  future  assailant  must  not  expect  so  easy  a vic- 
tory if  it  is  tolerably  defended.  I was  very  much  surprised, 
however,  to  learn  that,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1843, 
when  an  attack  was  anticipated  from  the  English,  General 
Santa  Anna  ordered  the  fortress  to  be  dismantled,  and  the 
guns  removed  to  Vera  Cruz. 

But  Vera  Cruz  is  much  more  effectually  protected  than 
by  all  her  fortifications,  by  the  northers  and  vomito  (the 
yellow  fever).  The  former  have  been  the  terror  of  all 
seamen  since  the  discovery  of  the  country.  The  latter 
prevails  on  all  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Mexico  during  the 
whole  year,  and  with  the  greatest  malignancy  for  two- 
thirds  of  the  year  ; and  it  so  happens,  that  the  few  months 
of  comparative  exemption  from  the  ravages  of  the  yellow 
fever  are  precisely  those  when  the  northers  prevail  with 
the  most  destructive  violence. 

I can  see  no  advantage  which  could  be  gained  by  get- 
ting possession  of  Vera  Cruz  which  would  be  at  all  com- 
mensurate with  the  loss  of  life,  from  disease  alone,  in  retain- 
ing it.  It  is  not  the  only  port  which  Mexico  possesses  ; 


4 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  I. 


and  if  it  were,  there  is  no  country  in  the  world  which  would 
be  so  little  injured  by  cutting  off  all  its  foreign  commerce, 
for  there  is  no  single  want  of  civilized  man  which  Mexico 
is  not  capable  of  furnishing.  The  town,  it  is  true,  might 
be  destroyed,  and  heavy  losses  and  much  individual  suffer- 
ing be  caused,  but  these  are  amongst  the  painful  and 
deplorable  consequences,  not  the  legitimate  objects  of 
honorable  war. 

The  present  city  of  Vera  Cruz  is  not  the  same  which  was 
built  by  Cortes,  and  which  was  the  first  European  settle- 
ment ever  made  upon  this  continent,  that  is  to  say,  in 
the  year  1519.  The  villa  rica  de  la  Vera  Cruz,  the  rich 
town  of  the  true  cross,  which  was  settled  by  Cortes,  is  dis- 
tant about  six  miles  from  the  present  city.  Vera  Cruz  is 
rather  a pretty  town,  with  broad  and  reasonably  clean 
streets.  It  would  no  doubt  be  as  healthy  as  any  other 
place  in  the  same  latitude  and  climate,  if  it  were  not  for 
some  large  swamps  in  the  rear  of  the  city.  The  vomito  is 
by  no  means  the  only,  nor  do  I think  it  the  most  fatal  of  the 
diseases  which  prevail  there.  The  bills  of  mortality  in 
some  years  exhibit  a great  number  of  deaths  from  some 
other  diseases,  whilst  in  other  years  much  the  greatest 
number  die  of  vomito.  This  difference  is  owing,  I think, 
in  a great  degree,  to  the  greater  or  less  number  of  sol- 
diers sent  down  there  in  the  most  sickly  months — stran- 
gers alone  being  subject  to  the  disease.  There  is  no  in- 
stance of  a person  born  in  Vera  Cruz  having  been  attacked 
by  this  disease,  although  carried  away  in  early  infancy, 
and  not  returning  until  fully  grown.  I have  heard  state- 
ments made  upon  this  subject  much  stranger  even  than  this. 
It  is  not  regarded  there  as  by  any  means  the  most  danger- 
ous type  of  fever.  Eminent  physicians  have  even  told  me 
that  of  all  the  forms  of  fever,  they  regarded  it  as  the  most 


CHAP.  I.] 


YELLOW  FEVER. 


5 


manageable  and  least  dangerous,  if  medical  aid  is  called  for 
in  due  time.  According  to  the  estimates  of  those  most 
entitled  to  confidence,  less  than  five  per  cent,  of  those 
attacked  die.  This  estimate  does  not  include  the  patients 
in  the  hospitals,  for  the  reason  that  the  general  terror  of 
being  sent  to  the  hospital  is  so  great,  that  many  are  deterred 
from  applying  for  relief  until  their  cases  are  beyond  the 
reach  of  remedies.  Some  facts  came  under  my  observa- 
tion which  went  very  far  to  shake  my  confidence — never 
very  great — in  medical  theories.  The  universal  treatment 
of  yellow  fever,  by  the  Vera  Cruz  physicians,  is  very  sim- 
ple, and  certainly  not  very  unpleasant ; — it  is  nothing 
more  than  cold  applications  to  the  stomach,  and  lime  juice 
and  sweet  oil  given  internally;  and  this  practice  is  so 
generally  successful,  as  to  give  the  result  which  I have 
stated — five  per  cent,  of  deaths.  They  say  there  that  calo- 
mel is  certainly  fatal ; but  hear  the  other,  the  calomel  side 
of  the  question.  The  prisoners  of  the  Santa  Fe  expedition 
were  released  on  the  16th  of  June,  and  arrived  at  Vera 
Cruz  in  August,  where  they  remained  more  than  a month  ; 
forty-five  of  them  were  attacked  by  the  yellow  fever,  and  in 
its  most  malignant  form,  as  may  be  well  supposed,  from  their 
irregular  habits  and  the  total  destitution  of  all  the  comforts 
of  a sick  bed.  They  were  attended  by  a young  physician 
who  belonged  to  the  expedition,  and  whose  practice  was 
to  give  large  doses  oi  calomel — not  more  than  one  died. 
I am  not  certain  that  a single  one  died  of  the  disease. 

There  are  a good  many  negroes  in  Vera  Cruz  ; more, 
probably,  than  in  any  other  portion  of  Mexico.  I did  not  see 
half-a-dozen  negroes  in  the  city  of  Mexico  in  a residence 
there  of  two  years,  and  very  few  mulattoes.  It  is  a very 
great  mistake  to  suppose  that  they  enjoy  anything  like  a 
social  equality,  even  with  the  Indian  population ; and,  al- 


6 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap,  v 


though  there  are  no  political  distinctions,  the  aristocracy  of 
color  is  quite  as  great  in  Mexico  as  it  is  in  this  country ; 
and  the  pure  Castillian  is  quite  as  proud  that  he  is  a man 
without  44  a cross,”  as  was  old  Leather-stocking,  even  if 
that  cross  should  have  been  with  the  Indian  race  however 
remote.  The  negro,  in  Mexico,  as  everywhere  else,  is 
looked  upon  as  belonging  to  a class  a little  lower  than  the 
lowest — the  same  lazy,  filthy,  and  vicious  creatures  that 
they  inevitably  become  where  they  are  not  held  in  bond^ 
age.  Bondage  or  barbarism  seems  to  be  their  destiny — a 
destiny  from  which  the  Ethiopian  race  has  furnished  no 
exception  in  any  country  for  a period  of  time  long  enough 
to  constitute  an  epoch.  The  only  idea  of  the  free  negro 
of  liberty  in  Mexico,  or  elsewhere,  is  exemption  from  labor, 
and  the  privilege  to  be  idle,  vicious,  and  dishonest ; as  to 
• the  mere  sentiments  of  liberty,  and  the  elevating  conscious- 
ness of  equality,  they  are  incapable  of  the  former ; and,  for 
the  latter,  no  such  equality  ever  did  or  ever  will  exist. 
There  is  a line  which  cannot  be  passed  by  any  degree  of 
talent,  virtue,  or  accomplishment.  The  greater  the  degree 
of  these,  which,  in  rare  individual  instances,  may  exist,  and 
the  nearer  their  possessors  may  approach  this  impassable 
barrier,  they  are  only  the  more  miserable.  This  may  be 
called  prejudice,  but  it  is  a prejudice  which  exists  wherever 
the  Caucasian  race  is  found  ; and  nowhere  is  it  stronger 
than  in  Mexico.  The  negro  is  regarded  and  treated  there 
as  belonging  to  a degraded  caste  equally  as  in  the  United 
States  ; much  more  so  than  in  South  Carolina ; in  quite  as 
great  a degree  as  in  Boston  or  Philadelphia. 

Whilst  upon  this  subject,  it  may  not  be  inappropriate 
to  allude  to  the  system  of  servitude  which  prevails  in 
Mexico — a system  immeasurably  worse  for  the  slave,  in 
every  aspect,  than  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  United 


CHAP.  I.]  SYSTEM  OF  SERVITUDE  IN  MEXICO. 


7 


States.  The  owners  of  the  estates  (haciendas)  receive 
laborers  into  their  service.  These  laborers  are  ignorant, 
destitute,  half-naked  Indians  ; certain  wages  are  agreed 
upon,  which  the  employer  pays  in  food,  raiment,  and  such 
articles  as  are  absolutely  necessary  ; an  account  is  kept  of 
all  these  things,  and  neither  the  laborer  nor  his  family  can 
ever  leave  the  estate  until  all  arrearages  are  paid.  These 
of  course,  he  has  no  means  of  paying  but  by  the  proceeds 
of  his  labor,  which,  being  barely  sufficient  for  his  sub- 
sistence, he  never  can  get  free ; and  he  is  not  only  a 
slave  for  life,  but  his  children  after  him,  unless  the  employer 
chooses  to  release  him  from  his  service,  which  he  often  finds 
it  convenient  to  do  when  the  laborer  becomes  old  or  dis- 
eased. Whatever  may  be  the  theoretical  protection  fru 
corporal  punishment  which  the  law  affords  him,  the  Mexican 
slave  is,  practically,  no  better  off  in  this  respect  than  is  the 
African  slave  in  this  country.  All  the  laborers  in  Mexico  are 
Indians ; all  the  large  proprietors  Spaniards,  or  of  mixed 
blood.  I say  all ; there  may  be  a few  exceptions,  but 
they  are  very  few  of  either.  So  of  the  army ; the  higher 
officers  are  all  white  men,  or  of  mixed  blood,  the  soldiers 
all  Indians. 

The  cathedral  in  Vera  Cruz  is  a very  decent  Gothic 
building,  with  the  same  profusion  of  paintings  and  statuary 
which  is  to  be  found  in  all  Mexican  churches  : making  up 
in  quantity  what  is  wanting  in  quality.  There  may  be  seen 
there  a wax  figure  of  the  Saviour  laid  in  the  tomb,  of  the  life 
size,  and  singularly  beautiful.  There  are  three  representa- 
tions of  the  crucifixion,  as  large  as  life,  and  of  different  shades 
of  color,  each  retaining  all  the  features  and  lineaments 
to  which  we  are  accustomed  in  the  portraits  of  Christ, 
somewhat  strangely  combined  with  the  peculiarities  of 
the  physiognomy  of  two  of  the  three  races  which  con- 


8 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  I. 


stitute  the  inhabitants  of  Vera  Cruz — a pious  fraud,  no 
doubt  intended  to  flatter  each  of  those  races  for  the  good 
of  their  souls. 

A new  and  very  handsome  custom  house  has  just  been 
completed  on  the  mole  at  Vera  Cruz.  The  material  of  which 
it  is  built  is  brought  from  Quincy,  in  Massachusetts,  although 
there  is  stone  equally  good  within  ten  miles  of  Vera  Cruz, — 
a fact  strikingly  illustrative  of  the  characters  of  the  people 
of  the  two  countries.  Such  comparisons,  or  rather  contrasts, 
are,  indeed,  constantly  presented  to  the  American*  travel- 
ling in  Mexico. 

Mexico  was  colonized  just  one  hundred  years  before 
Massachusetts.  Her  first  settlers  were  the  noblest  spirits 
of  Spain  in  her  Augustan  age,  the  epoch  of  Cervantes, 
Cortes,  Pizarro,  Columbus,  Gonzalvo  de  Cordova,  Cardinal 
Ximenes,  and  the  great  and  good  Isabella.  Massachusetts 
was  settled  by  the  poor  pilgrims  of  Plymouth,  who  carried 
with  them  nothing  but  their  own  hardy  virtues,  and  indomi- 
table energy.  Mexico,  with  a rich  soil,  and  a climate 
adapted  to  the  production  of  everything  which  grows  out 
of  the  earth,  and  possessing  every  metal  used  by  man — - 
Massachusetts,  with  a sterile  soil  and  ungenial  climate,  and 
no  single  article  for  exportation  but  ice  and  rock — How 
have  these  blessings,  profusely  given  by  Providence,  been 
improved  on  the  one  hand,  and  obstacles  overcome  on  the 
other  ? What  is  now  the  respective  condition  of  the  two 
countries  ? In  productive  industry,  wide-spread  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  public  institutions  of  every  kind,  general  happi- 
ness, and  continually  increasing  prosperity  ; in  letters,  arts, 

* Whenever  I use  the  term  American,  I mean  a citizen  of  the  United 
States  : as  when  we  say  Bonaparte,  we  mean  Napoleon ; and  it  is  so  under- 
stood everywhere. 


CHAP.  I.] 


AMERICAN  AND  MEXICAN  CONTRASTS. 


9 


morals,  religion  ; in  everything  which  makes  a people  great, 
there  is  not  in  the  world,  and  there  never  was  in  the  world, 
such  a commonwealth  as  Massachusetts.  “ There  she  is  ! 
look  at  her !” — and  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Line  of  Stages  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico — Noble  Disinterestedness  of 
an  American  Stage  Driver — Vera  Cruz  to  Jalapa — Miscellaneous  Hints 
— Property  of  Santa  Anna  in  Jalapa — Great  beauty  of  its  situation— 
Perote. 

There  is  a very  good  line  of  stages,  making  three  trips 
every  week  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Mexico,  which  has 
entirely  superseded  all  other  modes  of  conveyance.  Al- 
though the  fare  is  enormously  high,  yet  it  is  much  cheaper 
than  the  litera,  more  expeditious  and  on  every  account  more 
pleasant — except  that  the  literas  are  very  rarely  robbed. 
This  line  was  established  by  an  American  some  years  since, 
but  is  now  owned  by  a rich  Mexican — who  is  daily  grow- 
ing wealthier  by  it.  The  horses  are  all  Mexican,  generally 
small,  but  of  great  spirit  and  durability  ; seven  horses  are 
generally  driven,  two  at  the  wheels,  then  three  abreast  and 
two  more  in  the  lead.  The  stages  are  built  at  Troy,  New 
York,  and  the  drivers  are  all  Americans — and  a most  wor- 
thy set  of  fellows  they  are. 

I cannot  forbear  to  mention  here  a matter  honorable  to 
two  of  my  countrymen.  When  the  prisoners  of  the  Texan 
Santa  Fe  expedition  were  liberated  by  General  Santa  Anna, 
in  June,  1842,  they  were  furnished  with  as  much  money  as 
was  supposed  to  be  necessary  to  take  them  home.  But 
being  unable  to  procure  a vessel,  and  consequently  detained 
some  time  in  Yera  Cruz,  they  were  without  money  or  cre- 
dit, and  in  the  midst  of  disease  and  death.  Mr.  L.  S. 
Hargoos,  an  American  merchant,  with  a liberality  and  hu- 


CHAP.  II.]  DISINTERESTEDNESS  OF  A STAGE  DRIVER.  11 

manityof  which  few  men  would  have  been  capable  in  like 
circumstances,  advanced  them  between  ten  and  fifteen 
thousand  dollars.  Some  time  afterwards  he  travelled  to 
Mexico  in  the  stage,  and  rode  outside  with  the  driver  Nathan 
Gilland,  a native  of  New  York.  Gilland  asked  him  if  it  was 
true  that  he  had  advanced  so  large  a sum  to  the  Texans  as 
he  had  heard.  Mr.  Hargoos  told  him  that  it  was. 

The  next  morning  about  the  time  the  stages  were  start- 
ing from  Perote,  the  one  returning  to  Jalapa,  the  other  going 
to  Mexico,  Gilland  took  Mr.  Hargoos  aside  and  said  to  him, 
“ Sir,  I do  not  think  it  right  that  you  should  suffer  all  the 
loss  by  the  Texans — you  knew  none  of  them  and  only 
relieved  them  because  they  were  Americans  ; now,  I think 
it  nothing  but  fair  that  all  the  Americans  in  Mexico  should 
share  the  loss,  and  here  are  two  hundred  dollars  which  I 
am  willing  to  give  for  my  part  of  it.”  “ Very  well,  Nathan,” 
said  Mr.  Hargoos,  “ if  I should  ever  stand  in  need  of  two 
hundred  dollars,  I will  certainly  call  upon  you.” 

Foreigners  ridicule  the  indiscriminate  use  which  we  make 
of  the  term  gentleman,  and  its  application  to  stage  drivers 
and  persons  in  similar  stations  in  life.  May  it  never  be 
more  abused  than  by  its  application  to  one  capable  of  thus 
feeling  and  acting  ! It  wTould  be  unjust  to  the  other  Ame- 
rican drivers  on  the  same  line  not  to  say  that  I do  not  doubt 
that  every  one  of  them  would  have  done  the  same  thing  ; I 
do  not  believe  that  any  one  of  them  gave  less  than  five  hun- 
dred dollars  and  some  of  them  twice  that  sum  to  the  Texan 
prisoners  during  their  confinement  in  Mexico. 

The  stage  leaves  Vera  Cruz  at  eleven  o’clock  at  night, 
and  arrives  the  next  evening  about  three  o’clock  at  Jalapa. 
For  the  first  few  miles  from  Vera  Cruz  the  road  passes 
along  a sandy  sea-beach,  and  then  commences  the  ascent 
of  the  mountain  which  is  continued  almost  without  interrup- 


12 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  II. 


tion  to  Jalapa,  and  thence  to  Perote.  The  distance  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  Jalapa,  as  the  road  runs,  is  about  seventy  miles. 
In  a direct  line,  it  is  probably  not  much  more  than  one  third 
of  that  distance.  The  road,  considering  the  country  through 
which  it  passes,  is  a very  good  one.  It  was  constructed  by 
the  vice-roval  government.  The  Puente  Nacional  (Na- 
tional Bridge),  formerly  called  Puente  del  Rey  (the  King’s 
Bridge),  is  a very  handsome  structure  of  stone.  It  would 
be  so  regarded  anywhere,  but  it  is  all  the  more  striking  from 
the  rareness  of  such  works  in  Mexico,  and  it  is  the  soli- 
tary object  which  relieves  the  universal  appearance  of  wild- 
ness and  desolation  on  the  whole  route  from  Vera  Cruz 
to  Jalapa. 

The  habitations  (for  houses  they  are  not)  which  are  seen 
on  the  road  side,  at  distances  of  fifteen  and  twenty  miles 
from  each  other,  resemble  rather  chicken  coops  than  the 
abodes  of  human  beings.  They  are  constructed  of  canes 
about  ten  feet  long,  the  large  end  resting  on  the  ground, 
standing  upright  and  wickered  together  in  one  or  two  places, 
and  covered  with  the  leaves  of  the  palm  tree.  In  the  vil- 
lages the  houses  are  generally  small  filthy  hovels  of  ten  or 
twelve  feet  square,  built  of  unburnt  bricks,  with  a small  en- 
closure, in  which  the  chili  (red  pepper),  and  a small  patch  of 
Indian  corn  for  tortillas  is  cultivated.  A Mexican  village 
very  closely  resembles  an  American  Indian  village — with 
the  difference  that  the  Mexican  hovels  are  built  of  brick 
instead  of  being  log  cabins.  The  same  idleness,  filth,  and 
squalid  poverty  are  apparent. 

The  road  for  its  entire  extent  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Jalapa, 
passes  through  the  lands  of  General  Santa  Anna — which 
extend  an  immense  distance  on  both  sides  of  it ; much  of  this 
land  is  of  good  quality,  and  would  produce  cotton  and  sugar 
most  profitably.  Very  little  of  it  is  in  cultivation,  with  the 


CHAP.  II.] 


JALAPA. 


13 


trifling  exception  of  the  chili  and  corn  patches.  General 
Santa  Anna  owns  immense  herds  of  cattle,  some  forty  or  fifty 
thousand  head,  which  graze  upon  it.  He  also  permits  others 
to  graze  their  cattle  upon  his  lands  for  a rent  which  they  pay 
him  ; I believe,  forty  dollars  per  annum  for  a hundred  head. 

I do  not  know  that  I have  ever  seen  a more  beautiful  spot 
than  the  city  of  Jalapa.  When  the  atmosphere  is  clear  you 
may  see  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz  with  an 
ordinary  spy-glass,  and  the  white  caps  of  the  waves  with 
the  naked  eye.  The  elevation  of  Jalapa  above  the  sea  is  a 
little  more  than  four  thousand  feet.  It  is  situated  on  a shelf 
of  the  mountain ; the  summit  of  which  at  Perote,  a distance 
in  a direct  line  of  about  twenty  miles,  is  still  four  thousand 
five  hundred  feet  higher  than  Jalapa.  The  whole  horizon, 
except  in  the  direction  of  Vera  Cruz,  is  bounded  by  moun- 
tains ; amongst  them  Orizaba,  which  is  distant  from  Jalapa 
about  twenty-five  miles.  But  from  the  remarkable  clear- 
ness of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  sun  shining  upon  the  snow 
with  which  it  is  always  covered,  it  does  not  seem  to  be  five 
miles.  All  the  tropical  fruits  grow  there,  and  are  cultivated 
with  great  care  and  taste.  Jt  is  not  exaggeration  to  say 
that  it  is  impossible  for  one  who  has  not  been  on  the  table- 
lands of  Mexico  to  conceive  of  a climate  so  elysian.  There 
is  not  a day  and  scarcely  an  hour  in  the  year  when  one 
could  say,  I wish  it  were  a little  warmer  or  a little  cooler. 
It  is  never  warm  enough  to  pull  off  your  coat,  and  rarely 
cold  enough  to  button  it. 

No  spot  of  the  earth  will  be  more  desirable  than  this  for 
a residence  whenever  it  is  in  the  possession  of  our  race,  with 
the  government  and  laws  which  they  carry  with  them 
wherever  they  go.  The  march  of  time  is  not  more  certain 
than  that  this  will  be,  and  probably  at  no  distant  day. 

Perote,  the  next  town  on  the  road,  is  thirty-five  miles 


14 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  II. 


from  Jalapa,  and  is  eight  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  This  name  has  been  made  familiar  to 
American  readers  as  the  place  of  confinement  of  the  Texan 
prisoners,  and  more  recently  of  General  Santa  Anna  himself. 
Its  great  elevation  and  the  vicinity  of  the  mountain  of  Ori- 
zaba make  the  climate  uncomfortably  cold  at  night  ; the 
only  region  that  I visited  in  Mexico  which  I found  so.  Its 
very  large  and  strong  military  fortress  is  entirely  useless 
now  I should  think,  unless  the  constant  succession  of  civil 
wars  in  that  ill-fated  countrv  is  never  to  end. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Route  to  Puebla — Cultivation  of  the  Soil — The  Maguey — Pulque — Primitive 
Plough — Indifference  to  Agricultural  Wealth — Robbers  on  the  Road — 
Execution  by  the  Garote — Gaming  an  Incentive  to  Robbery — Singular 
Story  of  a Robber. 

The  stage  leaves  Perote  a little  before  daylight  and  arrives 
at  Puebla,  a distance  of  eighty  miles,  before  sundown.  The 
road  passes  for  nearly  the  whole  distance  over  a broad 
plain,  generally  uncultivated,  comparatively  uninhabited, 
without  a stick  of  timber  and  rarely  a drop  of  running 
water. 

As  you  approach  the  city  of  Puebla,  there  are  farms  of 
considerable  extent  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  The  grains 
chiefly  cultivated  are  wheat,  barley,  and  Indian  corn.  The 
wheat  is  used  for  bread  by  the  better  classes,  and  I have 
never  seen  better  bread  anywhere.  The  Indian  corn  is  used 
chiefly,  I believe  entirely,  by  the  Mexicans  in  making  tor- 
tillas. There  is  not  a corn-mill  in  Mexico.  The  tortilla  is 
the  bread,  and  the  only  bread  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people. 
The  grain  is  softened  by  soaking  it  in  water,  it  is  then  ground 
on  a smooth  stone,  with  a long  roller  made  also  of  stone  ; 
and  after  mixing  the  due  proportion — which  is  always  a 
very  large  proportion  of  chili  and  some  lime,  it  is  spread  out 
in  a thin  layer  and  cooked  as  we  do  the  hoe  cake.  Corn  is 
not  used  at  all  as  food  for  horses ; the  only  grain  used  for 
that  purpose  is  barley,  and  the  only  fodder  is  wheat  straw 
— an  article  generally  regarded  by  us  as  of  little  or  no  value 
for  food.  In  this,  I am  satisfied  that  we  are  mistaken.  I 
had  a very  large  pair  of  American  horses,  and  I was  at  first 


16 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  III. 


afraid  that,  however  well  the  barley  and  wheat  straw  might 
agree  with  the  Mexican  horses,  it  was  not  substantial 
enough  for  mine.  But  I found  that  they  became  so  fat  upon 
it  that  I was  obliged  to  curtail  their  allowance. 

Rye  and  oats  are  very  little  cultivated,  if  at  all.  I never 
saw  a grain  of  either  in  Mexico.  Much  the  most  profit- 
able culture  in  Mexico  is  that  of  the  plant  maguey,  or  Agave 
Americana.  The  small  ditches,  which  are  the  only 
fences,  are  all  bordered  with  it,  and  fields  of  large  extent  are 
also  planted  with  it.  The  favorite  drink  of  the  Mexicans, 
pulque,  is  obtained  from  this  plant.  This  beverage  is, 
indeed,  almost  necessary  to  the  existence  of  a Mexican  ; 
and  if  obliged  to  part  with  either,  he  would  give  up  his 
meat  rather  than  his  pulque.  The  maguey  grows,  in  good 
land,  to  an  enormous  size,  the  centre  stem  very  often 
twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  high,  and  twelve  or  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter  at  the  bottom  ; the  branches  a foot  and  a half 
wide,  and  four  or  five  inches  thick.  When  the  plant  is  in 
its  efflorescent  state,  which  varies  from  seven  to  fifteen 
years  from  the  planting,  the  centre  stem  is  cut  off  at  the 
bottom,  and  a bowl  made,  in  which  the  juice  accumulates. 
This  is  extracted  with  a rude  suction-pipe,  made  of  a long 
gourd,  which  the  Indian  laborer  applies  to  his  mouth  ; and 
when  the  gourd  is  filled,  the  contents  are  emptied  into  an 
ox-hide,  dressed  and  made  perfectly  tight.  .There  the  liquor 
ferments,  when  it  is  drawn  off  into  smaller  vessels  made  of 
the  skin  of  a hog,  and  in  these  it  is  carried  to  market.  The 
modern  inventions  of  hogsheads  and  barrels  have  by  no 
means  come  into  common  use  in  Mexico.  These  skins 
look  for  all  the  world  like  a hog  cleaned  and  dressed.  I 
saw  them  every  day,  hanging  in  front  of  the  pulque  shops 
as  a sign,  and  I had  been  some  time  in  Mexico  before  I dis- 
covered that  they  were  really  not  porkers.  One  plant 


CHAP.  III.] 


THE  MAGUEY PULCIUE. 


17 


of  the  maguey  often  yields  one  hundred  and  fifty  gallons. 
Baron  Humboldt  says  that  a single  plant  of  the  maguey  will 
yield  452  cubic  inches  of  liquor  in  twenty-four  hours,  and 
for  four  or  five  months,  which  would  amount  to  nearly  thrice 
the  quantity  I have  stated.  The  pulque  has  very 
little  strength — about  as  great  as  that  of  cider.  Its  smell  is 
very  much  that  of  putrid  meat,  and  is,  of  course,  offensive 
to  every  one  who  drinks  it  for  the  first  time  ; but  most 
persons  like  it  after  they  become  accustomed  to  it. 

A short  distance  from  Puebla,  on  the  route  to  Mexico, 
the  road  passes  for  several  miles  through  a very  beautiful 
plain,  and  in  cultivation  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  on 
either  side  of  the  road.  These  farms  were  a great  deal  the 
best  that  I saw,  both  as  to  soil  and  cultivation  ; and  I should 
think,  from  the  appearance  of  the  wheat  which  was  grow- 
ing, that  it  would  have  yielded  twenty  bushels  to  the  acre. 

The  system  of  agriculture  in  Mexico  is,  like  everything 
else,  so  wretchedly  bad,  that  it  is  impossible  to  form  any 
accurate  opinion  of  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  the  more 
especially  as,  on  the  whole  route  from  Vera  Cruz  to 
Mexico,  with  the  exception  of  a very  few  places,  and  for 
very  short  distances,  there  are  no  trees  nor  other  natural 
growth  but  a few  scrubby  bushes,  some  palms,  and  the 
almost  innumerable  varieties  of  the  cactus.  The  whole 
country  is  of  manifestly  volcanic  formation,'  at  least  the 
upper  strata.  I have  never  been  at  any  place  where  some 
species  of  lava  was  not  presented,  and  in  infinite  varieties, 
some  having  very  much  the  resemblance  of  cinders  just 
taken  from  an  iron  furnace ; others  so  entirely  petrified  as  to 
have  little  of  the  appearance  of  lava,  except  by  their  porous- 
ness. The  soil  is  generally,  I think,  not  very  rich.  In 
many  places,  such  as  the  plain  of  which  I have  been  speak- 
ing, the  land  is  very  good  ; nowhere,  however,  to  be  com- 


18 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  in. 


pared  with  our  richest  oak  and  hickory  lands.  The  plough 
in  universal  use  is  that  used  two  thousand  years  ago — 
neither  more  nor  less  than  a wooden  wedge,  without  a par- 
ticle of  iron  attached  to  it.  The  hoe  is  a wooden  staff, 
with  an  iron  spike  in  the  end.  What  is  still  more  remark- 
able, the  only  animal  used  in  ploughing  is  the  ox ; a planter, 
with  twenty  thousand  horses  and  mules  (by  no  means  an 
unusual  number),  will  only  use  his  oxen  in  the  plough.  If 
you  ask  why  this  is,  the  only  answer  I can  give  is,  that  the 
Spaniard  never  changes  his  habits,  nor  anything  else  but 
his  government.  All  the  passion  for  change  which  exists 
in  other  men,  with  him  is  concentrated  in  political 
changes. 

It  is  this  peculiar  characteristic  which  has  tended  more 
than  any  and  every  other  cause  to  produce  the  present 
degraded  condition  of  Spain.  At  the  beginning  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  Spain  might  justly  be  regarded  as  the  most 
powerful  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  ; she  had  not  only  ex- 
pelled the  Moors,  but  had  conquered  a large  portion  of 
Africa ; discovered  America,  and  was  in  possession  of  its 
untold  and  seemingly  exhaustless  treasures,  with  a galaxy 
of  great  men,  which  all  the  rest  of  the  world  could  scarcely 
equal.  What  is  she  now  ? a bye-word  amongst  the  na- 
tions ; whilst  other  countries  have  been  moving  on  in  a 
constant  career  of  improvements  in  every  way,  she  has 
folded  her  arms  in  sullen  pride  ; and,  as  she  has  refused  to 
advance,  she  has  of  necessity  retrograded,  for  nations  can- 
not long  remain  stationary. 

I believe  that  it  is  true,  and  it  is  most  remarkable  if  true, 
that  there  is  not  in  the  world  such  a thing  as  a railroad  in 
any  country  where  the  Spanish  language  is  spoken,  with 
the  exception  of  a short  one  in  Cuba,  which  owes  its  exist- 
ence to  American  enterprise.  During  my  residence  in 


CHAP.  III.]  INDIFFERENCE  TO  AGRICULTURAL  WEALTH.  19 

Mexico,  constantly  as  the  contrast  between  everything 
there  and  in  my  own  country  was  presented  to  me,  the 
feelings  which  were  excited  were  not  so  much  of  pride  and 
exultation  in  our  own  happier  destiny,  and  superiority  in 
everything,  as  the  more  generous  one  of  a profound  sym- 
pathy for  the  wretched  condition  of  a country  upon  wThich 
a bountiful  Providence  has  showered  its  blessings  with  a 
more  profuse  hand  than  upon  any  other  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth.  Whilst  in  our  cities  and  towns  you  hear  the 
busy  hum  of  incessant  industry,  and  the  shrill  whistle  of  the 
steam-engine,  there  you  hear  nothing  but  the  drum  and  fife ; 
whilst  we  have  been  making  railroads,  they  have  been 
making  revolutions. 

A more  striking  proof  of  the  unconquerable  repugnance 
of  the  Mexican  to  labor  cannot  be  given,  than  the  fact  that 
short  staple  cotton  sells  there  at  from  forty  to  forty-five 
cents  per  pound,  while  they  have  lands  and  climate  as  well 
adapted  to  its  culture  as  ours,  and  these  lands  dirt  cheap ; 
yet  they  never  make  enough  for  their  own  small  consump- 
tion. The  importation  of  cotton  is  positively  forbidden  by 
law  ; but  this  law  is  often  relaxed,  by  selling  the  privilege 
to  mercantile  companies  to  import  a certain  number  of  bales. 
If  such  prices  could  be  obtained  at  home,  our  northern 
people  would  discover  some  plan  of  raising  it  profitably  in 
hot-houses. 

Although  the  whole  road  from  the  city  of  Vera  Cruz  to 
the  city  of  Mexico  passes  through  a country  inexpressibly 
picturesque  and  beautiful,  yet  the  ignorant,  idle,  and  de- 
graded population,  the  total  absence  of  cultivation  and 
improvement,  and  a general  appearance  of  wildness  and 
desolation,  produced  with  me  feelings  partaking  of  gloom 
and  melancholy.  Neither  in  going  nor  returning  did  I see 
one  human  being,  man,  woman,  or  child,  engaged  at  work  of 


20 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  III. 


any  sort.  The  great  mass  of  the  population  doze  out  their 
lives  with  no  higher  thoughts  or  purposes  than  the  beasts 
which  perish  around  them. 

The  reader  will,  doubtless,  be  surprised  that  I have 
brought  him  thus  far  without  any  mention  of  robbers.  I 
was  neither  robbed  nor  attacked  by  robbers.  For  the  first 
two  or  three  stages  from  Vera  Cruz,  I took  an  escort  with 
me,  a corporal  and  four  privates  ; but  happening  at  one  of 
the  places  where  the  horses  were  changed  to  examine  their 
arms,  I found  that  only  one  of  the  carbines — a musket 
about  two  feet  long — had  a lock  in  good  order,  and 
that  one  not  being  loaded,  I dismissed  the  guard  and  had 
no  escort  afterwards  except  at  one  or  two  points  on  the 
road.  I had  with  me,  however,  a much  more  reliable 
defence  in  three  young  Americans  who  accompanied  me, 
who,  together  with  myself  and  servant,  were  all  well  arm- 
ed. So,  doubtless,  thought  the  robbers,  for  on  two  or  three 
occasions  we  met  with  them,  but  were  not  attacked. 
They  never  attack  the  stage  when  two  or  three  of  the  pas- 
sengers are  foreigners,  and  are  known  to  be  armed.  When 
the  stage  stops  for  the  night,  or  to  change  horses,  some  one 
of  the  robbers  examines  the  baggage,  and  if  it  promises  a 
rich  booty  and  the  passengers  have  the  appearance  of  soft 
customers,  they  are  certain  to  be  attacked  before  the  stage 
has  gone  five  miles.  But  if  the  passengers  are  armed  and 
there  is  a prospect  of  resistance,  the  robbers  wait  for  an 
easier  prey  ; they  wisely  calculate  that  some  one  of  them 
may  be  killed,  and  each  of  them  knowTs  that  that  one  may 
be  himself — upon  the  same  principle  that  one  brave  man 
armed  often  repels  a mob. 

At  one  of  the  little  villages  where  we  changed  horses,  I 
was  very  much  struck  with  the  dashing  and  picturesque 
appearance  of  a man  who  rode  by,  richly  and  gaudily  dress- 


CHAP.  III.] 


ROBBERS  ON  THE  ROAD. 


21 


ed,  on  a fine  horse  gaily  caparisoned.  I asked  the  stage 
driver  if  he  knew  him ; he  said  that  he  did,  and  that  he  was 
the  captain  of  a band  of  robbers  who  had  plundered  the 
stage  several  times  since  he  had  been  driving.  I asked  him 
why  he  had  not  informed  against  him  and  had  him  punish- 
ed ; he  replied,  that  if  he  had  done  so  he  certainly  would  have 
been  shot  by  some  others  of  the  band  the  next  time  he  had 
passed  the  road,  and  I have  no  doubt  that  he  would  have 
been,  for  nowhere  is  the  maxim  of  “ honor  amongst  thieves  ” 
more  rigidly  adhered  to  than  amongst  Mexican  thieves. 
There  have  been  frequent  instances  of  robbers,  who  had 
been  convicted,  being  offered  a pardon  upon  the  condi- 
tion that  they  would  discover  the  names  of  their  con- 
federates, which  offers  they  have  firmly  rejected,  and  sub- 
mitted to  the  certain  alternative  of  the  punishment  of  death. 
I expected  that  we  should  have  been  attacked,  but  we  were 
not,  the  robber-captain  rightly  judging  that  the  booty  to  be 
gained  was  not  worth  the  danger.  The  Mexicans,  when  they 
travel,  never  arm  themselves,  thinking  it  better  to  take  but 
little  with  them,  and  to  surrender  that  quietly,  than  to  have 
a scene  on  the  route.  The  road,  a few  miles  from  Perote, 
ascends  a very  high  mountain,  where  the  passengers  gene- 
rally get  out  of  the  stage  and  walk.  Some  of  my  companions 
had  left  their  weapons  in  the  stage  ; I directed  them  to  go 
back  and  get  them.  It  was  very  well  that  they  did  ; for, 
as  we  were  ascending  the  mountain,  we  met  three  or  four 
ill-looking  rascals,  who  the  driver  said  were  robbers  ; if 
they  had  not  seen  the  arms  in  our  hands,  we  should  cer- 
tainly have  been  attacked.  In  less  than  a month  after  this, 
five  or  six  Americans  left  their  arms  in  the  stage  at  this 
same  place,  and  they  were  robbed  of  everything  they  had 
with  them.  The  morning  that  we  left  Perote,  just  about 
daylight,  I was  riding  outside  with  the  driver,  when  I saw 


22 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  III. 


a horseman  approaching  the  stage  on  my  right  hand ; he 
followed  us  for  a short  distance,  gradually  diminishing  the 
space  between  us.  I knew  that  he  must  be  one  of  a robber 
band,  and  raised  my  double-barrelled  gun  so  that  he  could 
see  it,  when  he  immediately  rode  away  through  the  path- 
less plain,  and  I confess  I was  rejoiced  that  he  did  so  ; for, 
although  I knew  that  my  party  were  more  than  a match 
for  any  ordinary  band  of  robbers,  which  generally  consists 
of  five  or  six — rarely  more  than  ten  or  twelve — yet  I had 
no  ambition  for  the  eclat  of  a successful  encounter  with 
robbers,  and  no  wish  to  have  blood  upon  my  hands,  even 
if  it  should  be  the  blood  of  a highwayman.  I have  passed 
through  few  scenes  more  exciting  ; dashing  along  at  a 
rapid  rate  over  the  elevated  plain  of  Perote,  on  one  side 
the  white  peak  of  Orizaba  towering  in  the  clouds  above  us, 
on  the  other  a robber  chief  with  his  band  near  at  hand,  and 
our  Mexican  escort  a little  in  the  rear  on  their  small,  Arab- 
looking  horses,  with  their  not  less  Arab-looking  riders ; and 
never  did  the  Bedouin  of  the  desert  hold  a firmer  or  more 
graceful  seat.  The  scene  was  altogether  picturesque  ; but 
picturesque  as  it  was,  I had  no  desire  that  it  should  be 
repeated,  and  it  was  not. 

At  the  period  of  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  the  stage  was 
robbed  almost  every  trip  ; but,  before  I left  there,  General 
Santa  Anna,  with  his  characteristic  energy,  had  nearly 
cleared  the  road  of  banditti.  No  efforts  were  spared  to 
discover  them,  and  he  never  pardoned  one  after  conviction. 
I witnessed  the  execution  of  one  of  them  by  the  garote,  a 
description  of  which  may  not  be  uninteresting.  The  execu- 
tion took  place  early  in  the  morning,  in  the  yard  of  the 
Acordada  prison.  There  was  a very  large  concourse,  and 
amongst  them  many  persons  of  great  respectability  ; others 
beside  myself  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  carried  there  no 


CHAP.  III.]  EXECUTION  BY  THE  GAROTE. 


23 


doubt,  as  I was,  by  curiosity.  The  convict,  dressed  in  a 
white  gown,  was  placed  on  a wooden  bench  with  a high 
back,  like  a barber’s  chair.  Through  this  back  the  ends  of 
an  iron  collar  passed,  to  which  a crank  was  attached  ; the 
neck  of  the  convict  was  placed  in  this  collar,  and  a single 
turn  of  the  crank  caused  instant  death.  Nothing  could  be 
more  tender  and  affectionate  than  the  manner  of  the  priests 
who  were  in  attendance.  Kindness  and  benevolence,  how- 
ever, in  all  their  forms,  are  striking  traits  in  the  Mexican 
character,  as,  I think,  they  are  of  the  Catholic  clergy  every- 
where. 

No  other  country  presents  equal  temptations  and  facili- 
ties to  highwaymen  to  those  which  exist  in  Mexico.  The 
road  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico  is  the  great  highway  for 
travelling  and  commerce.  Nearly  all  the  commerce  on  the 
Atlantic  side  enters  the  port  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  not  five  per 
cent,  of  the  travellers  to  the  city  pass  any  other  route. 
Much  the  greater  portion  of  the  road  passes  through  an 
uninhabited  desert.  In  many  places  the  road  is  cut 
through  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  bordered  on  both 
sides  with  a dense  evergeen  shrubbery,  furnishing  as  secure 
hiding-places  as  the  everglades  of  Florida. 

With  the  general  population  of  the  country  lazy,  igno- 
rant, and,  of  course,  vicious  and  dishonest,  there  is  no  lack 
of  recruits  for  the  road.  Most  frequently,  however,  the 
chief,  and  sometimes  all  of  the  band,  live  in  the  towns  and 
cities.  Perhaps  the  most  powerful  incentive  to  robbery  is 
to  be  found  in  the  insatiable  and,  as  it  would  seem  with  the 
lower  classes  of  Mexicans,  constitutional  passion  for  gam- 
ing, and  the  entire  absence  of  all  restraint  in  its  indulgence. 
Men  go  to  the  monte  tables  with  thousands,  and  leave  them 
pennyless.  They  know  that  the  stage  will  pass  certain 
points  at  certain  hours  ; the  idea  occurs  to  the  unfortunate 


24 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  III. 


gambler  to  try  his  hand  at  another  game,  where  the  chances 
of  winning  are  greater,  as  are  also  the  consequences  of 
losing  much  more  serious  ; and  the  thing  is  done  almost 
as  soon  as  the  thought  occurs. 

Shortly  before  I left  Mexico,  the  stage  was  robbed  near 
Puebla.  The  robbers  all  had  the  dress  and  bearing  of 
gentlemen.  When  the  operation  of  rifling  the  pockets  and 
trunks  of  the  passengers  was  finished,  one  of  the  robbers 
said  to  them, — “ Gentlemen,  we  would  not  have  you  to  sup- 
pose that  we  are  robbers  by  profession  ; we  are  gentlemen 
[somos  caballeros],  but  we  have  been  unfortunate  at  monte, 
and  that  has  forced  upon  us  the  necessity  of  thus  incom- 
moding you,  for  which  we  beg  that  you  will  pardon  us.” 
Innumerable  are  the  stories  of  robberies  which  one  hears  in 
Mexico,  some  of  them  of  thrilling  interest  and  romantic 
character.  The  case  of  Colonel  Yanes,  who  was  executed 
a few  years  since,  is  full  of  incidents  of  a character  deeply 
dramatic.  I will  briefly  sketch  them  as  they  were  told  to 
me. 

The  Swiss  consul  resided  in  the  street  of  St.  Cosme. 
About  twelve  or  one  o’clock  in  the  daytime,  a carriage 
drove  up  to  his  door,  and  three  men  got  out,  one  in  the 
dress  of  a priest ; they  were  admitted  by  the  porter,  and 
the  door  closed,  when  they  immediately  seized  and  gagged 
him,  went  into  the  house,  and  robbed  and  murdered  the 
consul.  The  only  clue  for  the  discovery  of  the  murderers 
was  a metal  button  with  a small  piece  of  blue  cloth  at- 
tached to  it,  which  was  found  clenched  in  the  fingers  of  the 
murdered  man,  and  which  he  had  torn  from  the  coat  of  one 
of  the  robbers.  Suspicion  at  last  rested  upon  a soldier  who 
was  seen  with  more  money  than  he  could  account  for. 
His  quarters  were  searched,  and  the  coat  from  which  the 
button  had  been  torn  was  found  there.  He  was  convicted, 


CHAP.  III.]  SINGULAR  STORY  OF  A ROBBER. 


25 


but  he  relied  with  the  utmost  confidence  upon  a pardon,  as 
Colonel  Yanes,the  favorite  aide-de-camp  of  President  Santa 
Anna,  was  his  accomplice.  He  was  brought  out  to  be 
executed,  and  had  actually  taken  his  seat  on  the  fatal  bench, 
with  the  collar  placed  around  his  neck,  and  the  crank 
about  to  be  turned,  when  he  said — “ Hold  ! I will  disclose 
who  are  my  accomplices — Colonel  Yanes  is  the  chief!” 
The  execution  was  suspended,  and  on  searching  the  house 
of  Yanes,  a correspondence  in  cipher  was  discovered  which 
fully  established  his  guilt  in  this  and  in  other  robberies. 
Yanes  was  the  paramour  of  a woman  in  Mexico  very 
nearly  related  to  one  whose  word  was  law,  and  whose  in- 
fluence over  her  relative  was  known  to  be  very  great,  and 
upon  that  reliance  was  placed  for  a pardon,  at  least ; but 
she  was  not  disposed  to  trust  to  that,  and  let  her  lover 
suffer  the  disgrace  of  conviction — she  went  to  the  judge 
with  whom  the  cipher  had  been  deposited,  which  fur- 
nished the  evidence  of  the  guilt  of  Yanes,  and  offered 
him  a large  bribe  to  give  it  up.  He  was  an  honest  man 
and  an  upright  judge  ; he  sternly  refused  the  bribe,  and 
firmly  resisted  the  menaces  of  this  powerful  woman.  In  a 
day  or  two  he  died  suddenly,  as  all  supposed,  of  poison.  A 
successor  was  appointed  of  principles  less  stern,  who  ac- 
cepted the  bribe,  and  promised  to  destroy  the  paper ; but 
when,  in  confession  to  his  priest,  he  disclosed  his  corrupt 
conduct,  the  worthy  man  prevailed  upon  him,  if  he  had 
not  destroyed  the  paper,  not  to  do  so,  and  he  did  not. 
Yanes,  in  the  meantime,  was  informed  that  this  evidence 
would  not  be  produced  against  him,  and  that  the  prosecu- 
tion would  rest  entirely  upon  the  testimony  of  his  accom- 
plice. Upon  the  trial,  with  the  habitual  air  of  command  of 
an  officer,  and  the  habitual  fear  and  submission  of  the 
common  soldier,  Yanes  browbeat  and  confused  his  accuser 


26 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  III. 


to  such  a degree,  that  he  felt  secure  of  an  acquittal.  At 
this  moment  the  fatal  paper  was  produced,  and  he  was  con- 
demned and  executed.  His  not  less  guilty  paramour  still 
resides  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Puebla  the  Lowell  of  Mexico — Obstacles  to  Manufactures — City  of  Cho- 
lula — Incredibility  of  Cortes’  Narrative— First  sight  of  the  Valley  of 
Mexico — Description  of  the  Valley — Neglect  of  resources  in  the  supply 
of  the  Capital — Arrieros. 

Puebla  is  a beautiful  city,  with  lofty  houses,  built  in  the 
purest  style  of  architecture,  and  broad  and  remarkably 
clean  streets.  Its  police  is  greatly  superior  to  that  of 
Mexico.  The  cathedral  of  Puebla  is  a magnificent  edifice, 
which  has  been  said,  though  hardly  with  justice,  to  rival 
the  cathedral  in  Mexico.  Peubla  is  the  Lowell  of  Mexico. 
The  principal  cotton  manufactories  are  located  there,  and 
some  of  them  in  very  successful  operation,  which  can  be 
said  of  very  few  others.  The  English  and  other  foreign 
merchants  had,  in  1842,  either  by  the  force  of  argument  or 
some  more  potential  influence,  induced  the  President  to  con- 
sent to  the  admission,  on  more  favorable  terms,  of  coarse 
cotton  goods  ; but  the  united  and  violent  opposition  of  the 
manufacturers  of  Peubla  defeated  the  arrangement.  I 
said  that  very  few  of  these  establishments  in  Mexico  were 
prosperous,  or  ever  have  been,  although  the  price  of  an 
article  of  cotton  goods  is  in  Mexico  thirty  cents  a yard, 
which  sells  in  the  United  States  for  six  cents.  This  results 
from  many  causes,  which  appear  insuperable.  The  first 
of  these  is  the  high  price  of  the  raw  material,  which  ranges 
from  forty  to  fifty  cents  per  pound,  and  in  such  articles  as 
coarse  cottons,  the  raw  material  constitutes  the  chief 
element  of  value.  The  importation  of  raw  cotton  is  abso- 


28 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IV. 


lutely  prohibited,  and  the  tariff  policy  in  Mexico,  as  in  all 
other  countries,  rests  upon  a combination  of  different  in- 
terests which  are  benefited  by  it ; and  although  neither  the 
manufacturers  nor  the  cotton  growers  constitute  a numerous 
class  in  Mexico,  yet  their  combined  influence  with  the  aid 
of  the  catch- words  “ National  independence,  home  indus- 
try,” &c.,  which  have  had  so  much  power  in  a much 
more  enlightened  country  than  Mexico,  are  all-sufficient 
to  sustain  the  prohibitory  system — by  which  a Mexican 
pays  for  one  shirt  a sum  that  would  buy  him  five  in 
any  other  country.  Another  immense  disadvantage  of 
the  Mexican  manufacturer  is,  that  all  his  machinery  is  im- 
ported and  transported  by  land  at  enormous  cost — and  when 
any  portion  of  it  gets  out  of  order,  the  difficulty  and  delay 
of  repairing  it,  and  the  consequent  loss,  are  incalculable. 
There  are  many  other  reasons  which  will  always  make  the 
business  of  manufacturing  unprofitable  in  Mexico.  It  is 
needless,  however,  to  prove  this  by  argument  when  the 
universal  experience  and  the  results  of  experiments  made 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  all  confirm  that 
opinion.  However  tempting  to  such  an  investment  may 
be  the  high  prices  of  the  manufactured  articles,  those  high 
prices  are  equally  tempting  to  smuggling  in  a country  with 
ten  thousand  miles  of  frontier  and  sea-board.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  other  country  where  the  receipts  of  the  custom- 
house are  so  little  to  be  relied  on  as  to  the  amount  of  im- 
portations, and  where  smuggling  is  carried  to  so  great  an 
extent ; even  where  goods  are  regularly  imported,  innumer- 
able frauds  are  practised  both  by  and  upon  the  custom- 
house officers. 

The  great  city  of  Cholula,  of  which  both  Cortes  and  Ber- 
nal Dias  give  such  glorious  descriptions,  was  situated  about 
six  miles  from  the  present  city  of  Puebla.  The  following 


CHAP.  IV.] 


CITY  OF  CHOLULA. 


29 


translation  of  the  description  which  Cortes  gives  of  the  city 
of  Cholula  in  one  of  his  letters  may  not  be  uninteresting : — 

“ The  great  city  of  Cholula  is  situated  in  a plain  and  has  twenty 
thousand  householders  in  the  body  of  the  city,  besides  as  many  more  in 
the  suburbs.  There  is  not  a palm’s  breadth  of  land  which  is  not  culti- 
vated, notwithstanding  which,  there  is  in  many  places  much  suffering 
for  bread.  The  people  of  this  city  dress  better  than  the  Tlascalans.  The 
most  respectable  of  the  citizens  wear  something  like  a Moorish  cloak 
over  their  other  clothes,  but  somewhat  different,  as  those  worn  here  have 
pockets ; yet  in  the  shape,  the  cloth  and  the  fringe,  there  is  much 
resemblance  to  those  worn  in  Africa.” 


He  adds  that  he  had  himself  counted  the  towers  of  more 
than  four  hundred  idol  temples.  The  account  of  Bernal 
Dias,  although  more  brief,  yet  represents  it  as  a populous 
and  most  extraordinary  city,  and  he  adds,  that  it  was 
famous  for  the  manufacture  of  the  finest  crockery-ware,  as 
in  Castile  were  the  cities  of  Talavera  and  Palencia.  The 
city  of  Puebla  is  at  this  day  equally  celebrated  for  the  same 
manufacture. 

It  was  here  that  the  terrible  slaughter  was  committed 
which  has  left  the  deepest  stain  upon  the  otherwise  glorious 
and  wonderful  character  of  Cortes.  The  Cbolulans  had 
received  him  with  every  demonstration  of  friendship  into 
their  city,  and  had  afterwards  concerted  a plan  to  destroy 
all  the  Spaniards  ; this  plot  was  discovered  through  the 
address  and  sagacity  of  that  miracle  of  a woman  Dona 
Marina,  the  Indian  interpreter  of  Cortes,  whose  great 
qualities  throw  into  the  shade  our  own  Pocahontas.  Much 
allowance  is  to  be  made  for  the  circumstances  with  which 
the  Spanish  hero  was  surrounded,  with  only  about  five 
hundred  men  in  the  midst  of  a powerful,  warlike  and  hostile 


30 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IV. 


people.*  Not  a vestige,  literally  none, — not  a brick  or  a 
stone  standing  upon  another  remains  of  this  immense  city, 
except  the  great  pyramid  which  still  stands  in  gloomy  and 
solitary  grandeur  in  the  vast  plain  which  surrounds  it, — “ and 
there  it  will  stand  for  ever.”  This  pyramid  is  built  of  unburnt 
bricks  ; its  dimensions,  as  given  by  Humboldt,  are,  base 
1440  feet,  present  height  177,  area  on  the  summit  45,210 
square  feet.  The  base  is  greatly  out  of  proportion  with  its 
height,  if  compared  with  the  Egyptian  or  other  similar 
Mexican  piles.  All  other  pyramids  of  which  we  have  any 
account  are  carried  up  to  a point,  and  have  not  the  same 
large  area  upon  the  summit ; from  which,  I think  that  it 
may  well  be  supposed  that  it  was  once  of  much  greater  eleva- 
tion, or  that  to  render  it  such  was  the  original  design  of  the 
builders.  A Catholic  chapel  now  crowns  the  summit  of  this 
immense  mound,  the  sides  of  which  are  covered  with  grass 
and  small  trees.  As  seen  for  miles  along  the  road,  an  artifi- 
cial mountain  standing  in  the  solitude  of  a vast  plain,  it  is 
a most  imposing  and  beautiful  object. 

A short  distance  after  leaving  Puebla  the  road  for  several 
miles  passes  through  the  beautiful  cultivated  plain  of  which 
I have  heretofore  spoken.  This  vast  plain,  all  of  which  is  in 
cultivation,  extends  on  each  side  of  the  road  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach.  The  farms,  in  the  quality  of  the  soil,  houses, 
fixtures  and  cultivation,  are  greatly  superior  to  any  others 
which  I saw  in  Mexico.  To  the  right  lies  the  territory  of 
the  great  Republic  of  Tlascala,  which  first  offered  such 
fierce  resistance  and  afterwards  gave  such  important  assist- 
ance to  Cortes  in  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  It  is  difficult  to 
reconcile  the  accounts  given  by  Cortes  and  Bernal  Dias, 


* At  the  end  of  this  volume  will  be  found  a translation  of  Bernal  Dias’ 
account  of  this  affair. 


CHAP.  IV.]  INCREDIBILITY  OF  CORTES*  NARRATIVE. 


31 


of  the  immense  population  of  the  city  and  country  of  Tlas- 
cala  with  the  very  small  territory  which  they  occupied. 
Cortes  says,  “ The  territory  of  Tlascala  contains  a popula- 
tion of  five  hundred  thousand  householders,  not  including 
the  adjoining  province  of  Guasincango.,,  “ This  city,”  says 
he,  “ is  so  large  and  contains  so  many  wonderful  things,  that 
I must  leave  much  untold  ; the  little  which  I shall  relate  is 
almost  incredible,  because  it  is  a much  larger  and  a much 
stronger  city  than  Granada,  the  houses  as  good  and  the  popu- 
lation much  greater  than  was  that  of  Granada  at  the  period 
of  its  conquest,  and  much  better  provided  with  the  produc- 
tions of  the  earth,  such  as  bread,  &c.  There  is  a market 
where  more  than  thirty  thousand  people  daily  assemble  and 
buy  and  sell,  &c.,  &c.  There  are  houses  where  they  wash 
and  shave  the  head  like  bathers  ; they  have  baths  also. 
Finally,  they  have  in  all  respects  good  order  and  police, 
and  are  altogether  a civilized  people.”  In  one  of  Cortes*  battles 
with  them  they  brought  into  the  field  one  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  warriors.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  a terri- 
tory not  more  than  fifty  miles  long  and  thirty  wide, 
and  with  the  state  of  agriculture  at  that  time,  could  have 
sustained  such  an  enormous  population ; but  the  difficulty 
is  in  some  degree  removed  when  we  reflect  that  they  had 
no  horses  nor  other  domestic  animals. 

With  all  my  admiration  of  Cortes,  and  it  is  very  great, 
I must  confess  to  some  little  incredulity  when  I read  such 
accounts  as  the  following.  Speaking  of  his  battles  with  the 
Tlascalans,  he  says  : — 

“ And  thus  they  drew  us  on,  while  engaged  in  fighting,  until  we  found 
ourselves  [ about  jive  hundred  Spaniards ] in  the  midst  of  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  warriors,  who  surrounded  us  on  all  sides.  The  battle 
lasted  the  whole  day,  until  an  hour  before  sunset,  when  they  drew  off. 
In  this  contest,  with  six  pieces  of  ordnance,  five  or  six  hand  guns,  forty 


32 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IV. 


archers,  and  thirteen  horsemen  that  remained  with  me,  I did  them  much 
injury,  without  suffering  from  them  any  other  inconvenience  than  the  labor 
and  fatigue  of  fighting  and  hunger.  And  it  truly  seemed  that  God  fought 
on  our  side,  since  with  such  a multitude  of  the  enemy  opposed  to  us, 
who  discovered  so  great  courage  and  skill  in  the  use  of  arms,  of  which 
they  had  many  kinds,  we  nevertheless  came  off  unhurt. 

“ Afterwards,  at  daylight,  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
men,  who  covered  the  land,  made  an  attack  in  so  determined  a manner 
upon  our  camp,  that  some  of  them  forced  an  entrance  and  engaged  the 
Spaniards  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  when  it  pleased  our  Lord  to  afford 
us  his  aid  to  such  a degree,  that  in  four  hours  they  no  longer  annoyed  us 
in  our  camp,  although  they  still  continued4 their  attacks;  and  thus  we 
were  engaged  until  evening,  when  the  enemy  at  length  drew  off.” 

Again  not  a Spaniard  killed  or  wounded  ! Nothing  that 
we  read  in  the  most  extravagant  romances  equals  this ; all 
the  fictions  of  the  Orlando  Furioso;  all  the  achievements 
of  the  “ furious  Roland,”  are  quite  feasible  compared  with 
this.  These  Spaniards  must  not  only  have  had  the  charmed 
armor  of  some  of  Ariosto’s  heroes,  but  a “ charmed  life” 
also. 

One  cannot  pass  through  this  now  barren  and  almost 
desolate  region,  and  in  sight  of  the  mountain  of  Malinche, 
where  once  stood  the  capital  of  the  renowned  Republic  of 
Tlascala,  without  his  thoughts  recurring  to  its  former  great- 
ness and  power,  and  its  heroic  and  faithful  people.  The 
road  passes  within  about  twenty  miles  of  the  mountain  of 
Pococatapetl,  the  highest  point  of  the  territory  of  Mexico  ; 
but  the  brightness  of  the  atmosphere,  and  a tropical  sun 
shining  upon  the  snow  with  which  it  is  always  covered, 
make  the  distance  seem  very  much  shorter,  not  indeed 
more  than  one  or  two  miles.  In  descending  the  mountain 
at  about  the  distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  the  first  glimpse 
is  caught  of  the  city  and  valley  of  Mexico.  No  descrip- 
tion can  convey  to  the  reader  any  adequate  idea  of  the 


CHAP.  IV.]  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  THE  VALLEY  OF  MEXICO. 


33 


effect  upon  one  who,  for  the  first  time,  beholds  that  magni- 
ficent propect.  With  what  feelings  must  Cortes  have  re- 
garded it  when  he  first  saw  it  from  the  top  of  the  mountain 
between  the  snow-covered  volcanoes  of  Popocateptl  and 
Iztaccihuatl,  a short  distance  to  the  left  of  where  the  road 
now  runs  ! The  valley  was  not  then,  as  it  is  now,  for  the 
greater  part  a barren  waste,  but  was  studded  all  over  with 
the  homes  of  men,  containing  more  than  forty  cities,  besides 
towns  and  villages  without  number.  Never  has  such  a 
vision  burst  upon  the  eyes  of  mortal  man  since  that  upon 
which  the  seer  of  old  looked  down  from  Pisgah. 

The  road  enters  the  basin  of  the  lake  some  sixteen  or 
eighteen  miles  from  Mexico.  On  the  right  hand  is  the  salt 
lake  of  Tezcuco,  on  the  left  the  fresh  water  lake  of  Chaleo. 
During  the  rainy  season,  the  road,  for  the  whole  extent  of 
the  valley,  is  miry  and  deep.  Seven  miles  from  the  city 
the  road  passes  a small  rocky  mountain,  for  which  the 
Spanish  word  is  “Pinol,”  and  that  is  the  name  which  this 
bears.  From  that  point  to  the  city,  the  ground  on  both 
sides  of  the  causeway  is,  at  all  seasons,  covered  with  water. 
According  to  Humboldt,  one-tenth  of  the  valley  is  still 
covered  with  the  water  of  the  lakes  Tezcuco,  Chaleo,  Ho- 
chimieco,  Zampango,  and  San  Christoval,  and  a much 
larger  portion  during  the  rainy  season.  When  the  water 
subsides,  large  deposits  of  salt  are  left  on  the  surface,  pre- 
senting very  much  the  appearance  of  a reclaimed  marsh 
covered  with  frost.  This  is  the  salt  which  is  generally 
used  by  the  Mexicans.  The  city  does  not  stand,  as  I have 
seen  it  represented,  in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  but  near  the 
north-eastern  part  of  it,  not  more  than  three  miles  from  the 
mountains,  in  the  direction  of  the  village  of  Guadaloupe. 
Cortes  gives  to  the  valley  a circumference  of  two  hundred 
miles,  meaning,  no  doubt,  at  the  crest  of  the  mountains. 

3 


34 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IV. 


Clavigero,  a much  later,  and,  on  this  subject,  more  reliable 
authority,  fixes  it  at  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  at  the 
lowest  point  of  elevation.  The  latitude  is  19°  26',  and  lon- 
gitude 276°  34' ; and  its  elevation  above  the  level  of  the 
sea  7,470  feet.  The  appearance  of  the  valley  is  that  of  an 
oval  basin,  surrounded  on  all  sides  with  mountains  of  every 
degree  of  elevation,  and  every  variety  of  appearance,  from 
the  Pinolis  (little  rugged  promontories)  to  Pococatapetl,  the 
highest  mountain  in  Mexico,  and,  I believe,  the  highest  upon 
this  continent,  and  covered  with  perpetual  snow,  ten  thousand 
four  hundred  feet  higher  than  the  city  itself.  As  you  ap- 
proach the  city  from  the  direction  of  Vera  Cruz,  there  are  a 
few  small  mountains  scattered  over  the  valley,  of  a conical 
shape,  and  manifestly  formed  by  the  eruptions  of  the  neigh- 
boring volcanoes  of  Pococatapetl  and  Iztaccihuatl.  In  every 
other  direction  the  valley  is  a level  plain ; it  might  almost  be 
called  a barren  waste.  From  the  small  patches  in  cultiva- 
tion, the  soil  appears  rich  and  productive  ; I have  seen 
very  fine  wheat  and  Indian  corn  growing,  even  with  Mexi- 
can cultivation.  The  average  production  is  said  to  be 
twenty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre ; yet  of  this  rich  val- 
ley, in  the  midst  of  which  is  a city  of  near  two  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  not  one  acre  in  a hundred  is  culti- 
vated ; it  is  used  almost  exclusively  for  grazing.  Each 
proprietor  has  his  farm  enclosed  by  a small  ditch,  upon  the 
banks  of  which  the  Agave  Americana  is  planted,  with  large 
herds  of  indifferent  cattle  grazing  upon  pastures  as  indif- 
ferent. If  this  magnificent  valley  were  occupied  by  a popu- 
lation from  this  country,  there  is  not  a foot  of  it  that  would 
not  be  cultivated  like  a garden,  and  nowhere  would  the 
care  and  industry  of  the  farmer  meet  a richer  reward.  The 
city  of  Mexico  alone  would  furnish  a market  for  its  products 
of  milk,  butter,  cheese,  fruits,  vegetables,  meats,  corn,  wheat, 


CHAP.  IV.] 


SUPPLY  OF  THE  CAPITAL. 


35 


&c.  In  short,  every  production  of  the  earth  which  man 
uses  could  be  advantageously  produced  there,  and  readily 
sold  at  high  prices. 

The  city  is,  however,  actually  supplied  with  every  arti- 
cle of  this  kind  from  a much  greater  distance  ; coals,  vege- 
tables. poultry,  and  other  articles  of  no  very  great  weight, 
are  brought  in  panniers  on  the  backs  of  half-naked  Indians. 
The  heavier  articles,  and  even  plank  and  scantling,  are 
packed  on  mules  or  jackasses,  and  brought  from  forty  to 
fifty  miles.  A carpenter  lived  next  door  to  me,  and  seeing 
some  jackasses  loaded  with  planks  twenty  feet  long,  and 
very  thick,  eight  of  them  on  each  of  the  very  small  ani- 
mals, four  on  either  side,  I was  induced  to  inquire  what 
distance  they  had  been  brought,  and  I found  that  it  was 
nearly  sixty  miles — the  greater  part  of  the  way  through  the 
mountains.  The  load  of  each  jackass  could  not  have  been 
worth  more  than  three  or  four  dollars.  Wagons  are  never 
used  by  the  Mexicans.  Some  of  the  English  mining  com- 
panies use  them  for  the  transportation  of  their  machinery, 
and  there  are  a few  others  in  use  by  foreigners.  Nearly 
all  the  European  goods  of  every  description,  which  are 
consumed  in  the  central  departments  of  Mexico,  and  a large 
portion  of  those  sold  in  the  remoter  districts,  are  landed 
in  Vera  Cruz,  and  carried  on  mules  and  jackasses  to 
the  city  of  Mexico,  and  thence  distributed  throughout 
the  Republic. 

Travelling  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico,  you  are  scarcely 
ever  out  of  sight  of  caravans  of  arrieros  (muleteers)  going 
and  returning.  It  is  the  mode  of  transportation  to  which 
they  have  been  accustomed,  and  nothing  can  induce  them 
to  change  it.  A Frenchman,  some  few  years  since,  estab- 
lished a line  of  wagons  on  the  route,  and  died  whilst  I was 
in  Mexico  leaving  a fortune  of  some  four  hundred  thousand 


36 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IV. 


dollars — all  of  which  he  had  made  from  a very  small  begin- 
ning— yet  no  one  was  disposed  to  continue  the  business. 
They  are  satisfied  with  what  they  have  been  accustomed 
to  in  all  things  ; and  perhaps  in  this  particular  instance  they 
have  reason  to  be,  for  these  muleteers  make  a great  deal  of 
money.  The  load  of  each  mule  or  jackass  is  four  hundred 
pounds,  for  the  freight  of  which  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico 
they  receive  five  dollars  the  hundred  pounds,  and  the 
mules  subsist  on  the  coarsest  and  scantiest  food,  such 
as  straw  and  the  short  grass  of  those  almost  barren 
plains  where  they  turn  them  out  to  graze  at  night.  The 
arrieros  are  as  a class,  stout,  hardy,  and  honest  men  ; they 
are  never  robbed,  and  are  always  faithful  and  honest — 
indeed  I think  all  similar  classes  in  Mexico  are  quite  as 
honest  as  they  are  elsewhere.  It  has  happened  to  me  in 
more  instances  than  one  that  on  purchasing  in  a shop  some 
small  articles,  I have  paid  what  I supposed  was  the  price 
but  which  was  in  fact  more,  the  change  has  been  returned 
to  me  ; and,  in  some  instances,  the  shopkeeper  would  follow 
me  into  the  street  to  give  it  to  me. 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  City  of  Mexico — The  Palace — Cathedral — Wealth  of  the  Church — 
Masses,  a Productive  System  of  Revenue — The  Streets  and  Buildings  of 
Mexico — Curious  Position  of  Stables — Inundations  of  the  City. 

The  city  of  Mexico  is  said  to  be  the  finest  built  city  on  the 
American  Continent.  In  some  respects  it  certainly  is  so. 
In  the  principal  streets  the  houses  are  all  constructed 
according  to  the  strictest  architectural  rules.  The  founda- 
tions of  the  city  were  laid,  and  the  first  buildings  were 
erected  by  Cortes,  who  did  everything  well  which  he 
attempted, — from  building  a house  or  writing  a couplet  to 
conquering  an  empire.  Many  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
Mexico  are  still  owned  by  his  descendants.  The  public 
square  is  said  to  be  unsurpassed  by  any  in  the  world  ; it 
contains  some  twelve  or  fifteen  acres  paved  with  stone. 
The  cathedral  covers  one  entire  side,  the  palace 
another  ; the  western  side  is  occupied  by  a row  of 
very  high  and  substantial  houses,  the  second  stories  of 
which  project  into  the  street  the  width  of  the  pavement ; 
the  lower  stories  are  occupied  by  the  principal  retail  mer- 
chants of  the  city.  The  most  of  these  houses  were  built 
by  Cortes,  who,  with  his  characteristic  sagacity  and  an 
avarice  which  equally  characterized  him  in  the  latter  part 
of  his  life,  selected  the  best  portion  of  the  city  for  himself. 

The  President’s  Palace,  formerly  the  palace  of  the  vice- 
roys, is  an  immense  building  of  three  stories  high,  about  five 
hundred  feet  in  length,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  wide ; 
it  stands  on  the  site  of  the  palace  of  Montezuma.  It  is  dif- 


38 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


ficult  to  conceive  of  so  much  stone  and  mortar  being  put 
together  in  a less  tasteful  and  imposing  shape  ; it  has  much 
more  the  appearance  of  a cotton  factory  or  a penitentiary, 
than  what  it  really  is  ; the  windows  are  small  and  a parapet 
wall  runs  the  whole  length  of  the  building,  with  nothing  to 
relieve  the  monotony  of  its  appearance  except  some  very 
indifferent  ornamental  work  in  the  centre  ; there  are  no 
doors  in  the  front  either  of  the  second  or  third  stories — no- 
thing but  disproportionately  small  windows,  and  too  many 
of  them ; the  three  doors,  and  there  are  only  three  in  the 
lower  story,  are  destitute  of  all  architectural  beauty  or 
ornament.  Only  a very  small  part  of  this  palace  is  appro- 
priated to  the  residence  of  the  President ; all  the  public 
offices  are  here,  including  those  of  the  heads  of  the  different 
departments  ; ministers  of  war,  foreign  relations,  finance  and 
justice,  the  public  treasury,  &c.,  &c.  The  halls  of  the 
house  of  deputies  and  of  the  senate  are  also  in  the  same 
building,  and  last  and  least,  the  botanic  garden.  After  pass- 
ing through  all  sorts  of  filth  and  dirt  on  the  basement  story 
you  come  to  a dark  narrow  passage  which  conducts  you  to 
a massive  door,  which,  when  you  have  succeeded  in  open- 
ing, you  enter  an  apartment  enclosed  with  high  walls  on 
every  side  but  open  at  the  top,  and  certainly  not  exceeding 
eighty  feet  square,  and  this  is  the  botanic  garden  of  the  palace 
of  Mexico  ; a few  shrubs  and  plants  and  the  celebrated  ma- 
nita-tree,  are  all  that  it  contains.  I have  rarely  in  my  life 
seen  a more  gloomy  and  desolate  looking  place.  It  is  much 
more  like  a prison  than  a garden.  A decrepit,  palsied  old 
man,  said  to  be  more  than  a hundred  years  old,  is  the 
superintendent  of  the  establishment ; no  one  could  have 
been  selected  more  in  keeping  with  the  general  dilapidation 
and  dreariness  of  this  melancholy  affair. 

But  the  cathedral,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  great 


CHAP.  V.] 


THE  CATHEDRAL. 


39 


idol  temple  of  Montezuma,  offers  a striking  contrast.  It  is 
five  hundred  feet  long  by  four  hundred  and  twenty  wide. 
It  would  be  superfluous  to  add  another  to  the  many  descrip- 
tions of  this  famous  building  which  have  already  been  pub- 
lished. Like  all  the  other  churches  in  Mexico,  it  is  built  in 
the  Gothic  style.  The  walls,  of  several  feet  thickness,  are 
made  of  unhewn  stone  and  lime.  Upon  entering  it,  one  is 
apt  to  recall  the  wild  fictions  of  the  Arabian  Nights ; it 
seems  as  if  the  wealth  of  empires  was  collected  there.  The 
clergy  in  Mexico  do  not,  for  obvious  reasons,  desire  that 
their  wealth  should  be  made  known  to  its  full  extent ; they 
are,  therefore,  not  disposed  to  give  very  full  information 
upon  the  subject,  or  to  exhibit  the  gold  and  silver  vessels, 
vases,  precious  stones,  and  other  forms  of  wealth  ; quite 
enough  is  exhibited  to  strike  the  beholder  with  wonder. 
The  first  object  that  presents  itself  on  entering  the  cathe- 
dral is  the  altar,  near  the  centre  of  the  building  ; it  is  made 
of  highly-wrought  and  highly-polished  silver,  and  covered 
with  a profusion  of  ornaments  of  pure  gold.  On  each  side 
of  this  altar  runs  a balustrade,  enclosing  a space  about  eight 
feet  wide  and  eighty  or  a hundred  feet  long.  The  balusters 
are  about  four  feet  high,  and  four  inches  thick  in  the  largest 
part;  the  handrail  from  six  to  eight  inches  wide.  Upon 
the  top  of  this  handrail,  at  the  distance  of  six  or  eight  feet 
apart,  are  human  images,  beautifully  wrought,  and  about 
two  feet  high.  All  of  these,  the  balustrade,  handrail,  and 
images,  are  made  of  a compound  of  gold,  silver,  and  cop- 
per— more  valuable  than  silver.  I was  told  that  an  offer 
had  been  made  to  take  this  balustrade,  and  replace  it  with 
another  of  exactly  the  same  size  and  workmanship  of  pure 
silver,  and  to  give  half  a million  of  dollars  besides.  There 
is  much  more  of  the  same  balustrade  in  other  parts  of  the 
church ; I should  think,  in  all  of  it,  not  less  than  three  hun- 
dred feet. 


40 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  y. 


As  you  walk  through  the  building,  on  either  side  there 
are  different  apartments,  all  filled,  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling,  with  paintings,  statues,  vases,  huge  candlesticks, 
waiters,  and  a thousand  other  articles,  made  of  gold  or  sil- 
ver. This,  too,  is  only  the  every  day  display  of  articles  of 
least  value  ; the  more  costly  are  stored  away  in  chests 
and  closets.  What  must  it  be  when  all  these  are  brought 
out,  with  the  immense  quantities  of  precious  stones  which 
the  church  is  known  to  possess  ? And  this  is  only  one  of  the 
churches  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  where  there  are  between 
sixty  and  eighty  others,  and  some  of  them  possessing  little 
less  wealth  than  the  cathedral ; and  it  must  also  be  remem- 
bered, that  all  the  other  large, cities,  such  as  Puebla,  Guada- 
lajara, Guanajuato,  Zacatecas,  Durango,  San  Louis,  Potosi, 
have  each  a proportionate  number  of  equally  gorgeous  esta- 
blishments. It  would  be  the  wildest  and  most  random  con- 
jecture to  attempt  an  estimate  of  the  amount  of  the  precious 
metals  thus  withdrawn  from  the  useful  purposes  of  the  cur- 
rency of  the  world,  and  wasted  in  these  barbaric  ornaments, 
as  incompatible  with  good  taste  as  they  are  with  the 
humility  which  was  the  most  striking  feature  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  founder  of  our  religion,  whose  chosen  instru- 
ments were  the  lowly  and  humble,  and  who  himself  regarded 
as  the  highest  evidence  of  his  divine  mission,  the  fact  that 
14  to  the  poor  the  gospel  was  preached.”  I do  not  doubt  but 
there  is  enough  of  the  precious  metals  in  the  different 
churches  of  Mexico  to  relieve  sensibly  the  pressure  upon  the 
currency  of  the  world,  which  has  resulted  from  the  diminished 
production  of  the  mines,  and  the  increased  quantity  which 
has  been  appropriated  to  purposes  of  luxury,  and  to  pay  the 
cost  of  much  more  tasteful  decorations  in  architecture  and 
statuary,  made  of  mahogany  and  marble. 

But  the  immense  wealth  which  is  thus  collected  in  the 


CHAP.  V.] 


MASSES. 


41 


churches,  is  not  by  any  means  all,  or  even  the  larger  por- 
tion, of  the  wealth  of  the  Mexican  church  and  clergy. 
They  own  very  many  of  the  finest  houses  in  Mexico  and 
other  cities  (the  rents  of  which  must  be  enormous),  besides 
valuable  real  estates  all  over  the  Republic.  Almost  every 
person  leaves  a bequest  in  his  will  for  masses  for  his  soul, 
which  constitute  an  incumbrance  upon  the  estate,  and  thus 
nearly  all  the  estates  of  the  small  proprietors  are  mortgaged 
to  the  church.  The  property  held  by  the  church  in  mort- 
main is  estimated  at  fifty  millions. 

Mexico  is,  I believe,  the  only  country  where  the 
church  property  remains  in  its  untouched  entirety.  Some 
small  amount  has  been  recently  realized  from  the  sale  of 
the  estates  of  the  banished  Jesuits  ; but,  with  that  excep- 
tion, no  President,  however  hard  pressed  (and  there  is  no 
day  in  the  year  that  they  are  not  hard  pressed),  has  ever 
dared  to  encroach  upon  that  which  is  regarded  consecrated 
property,  with  the  exception  of  Gomez  Farrias,  who,  in 
1834,  proposed  to  the  legislative  chambers  to  confiscate  all 
the  church  property,  and  the  measure  would,  no  doubt,  have 
been  adopted,  but  for  a revolution  which  overthrew  the 
administration. 

But  it  is  impossible  that  such  a state  of  things  can  last 
always.  I have  heard  intelligent  men  express  the  opinion, 
that  one-fourth  of  the  property  of  the  country  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  priesthood ; and,  instead  of  diminishing,  is 
continually  increasing.  As  a means  of  raising  money,  I 
would  not  give  the  single  institution  of  the  Catholic  religion 
of  masses  and  indulgences  for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of  the 
dead,  for  the  power  of  taxation  possessed  by  any  govern- 
ment. No  tax-gatherer  is  required  to  collect  it ; its  pay- 
ment is  enforced  by  all  the  strongest  and  best  feelings  of 
the  human  heart.  All  religions  and  superstitions  have  their 


42 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


priesthood  and  their  priestcraft,  from  the  reptile  worship  of 
the  Nile  to  our  own  pure  and  holy  religion  ; but  of  all  the 
artifices  of  cunning  and  venality  to  extort  money  from 
credulous  weakness,  there  is  none  so  potential  as  a mass  for 
the  benefit  of  souls  in  purgatory.  Our  own  more  rational 
faith  teaches  that  when  a man  dies  his  account  is  closed, 
and  his  destiny  for  good  or  evil  is  fixed  for  ever,  and  that  he 
is  to  be  judged  by  the  deeds  done  in  the  body ; but  another 
creed  inculcates  that  that  destiny  may  be  modified  or 
changed  by  prayers  at  once  posthumous,  vicarious,  and 
venal.  It  would  seem  to  be  in  direct  contradiction  to  the 
Saviour,  in  the  comparison  of  the  camel  passing  through 
the  eye  of  a needle.  Nothing  is  easier  than  for  a rich  man 
to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ; he  purchases  that  entrance 
with  money.  He  who  can  pay  for  most  masses,  shortens 
in  proportion  the  period  of  his  probation  of  torment  in  pur- 
gatory. Who  is  it  that  will  not  pay  his  last  farthing  to 
relieve  the  soul  of  a departed  friend  from  those  torments  ? 
I do  not  know  how  the  fee  for  these  masses  is  exacted,  but 
I do  know  that  it  is  regularly  paid ; and  that,  without  the 
fee,  the  mass  would  be  regarded  of  no  value  or  efficacy. 
We  read  in  the  history  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico  that. 
Cortes  paid  large  sums  for  masses  for  the  soul  of  Sandoval, 
when  he  died,  and  provided  large  sums  in  his  will  for 
masses  for  his  own  soul.  I remember  that  my  washerwoman 
once  asked  me  to  lend  her  two  dollars.  I asked  her  what 
she  wanted  with  it.  She  told  me  that  there  was  a particu- 
lar mass  to  be  said  on  that  day,  which  relieved  the  souls  in 
purgatory  from  ten  thousand  years  of  torment,  and  that  she 
wished  to  secure  the  benefit  of  it  for  her  mother.  I asked 
her  if  she  was  fool  enough  to  believe  it.  She  answered, 
“ Why*  yes,  sir  ; is  it  not  true  ?”  and  with  a countenance  £>f 
as  much  surprise  as  if  I had  denied  that  the  sun  was  shining. 


CHAP.  V.] 


MASSES. 


43 


On  a day  of  religious  festival  (the  anniversary  of  Saint  Fran- 
cisco), I have  seen,  stuck  up  on  the  door  of  the  church  of 
San  Francisco,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  magnificent  in 
Mexico,  a small  advertisement,  of  which  the  following  was 
the  substance  : — 

“ His  Holiness  the  Pope  (and  certain  bishops  which  were 
named)  have  granted  thirty-two  thousand  three  hundred 
years,  ten  days  and  six  hours  of  indulgence*  for  this  mass.” 

I do  not  remember  exactly  the  number  of  years,  days 
and  hours,  but  I positively  assert  that  it  specified  the  num- 
ber of  each,  and  I believe  that  I have  stated  them  correctly. 
The  manifest  object  of  this  minute  particularity  is  to  secure 
the  more  effectual  belief  in  the  imposture.  By  thus  giving 
to  it  the  air  of  a business  transaction,  a sort  of  contract  be- 
tween the  devotee  and  the  Almighty,  by  his  authorized 
agent  and  vicegerent  on  earth,  the  Pope,  is  established — a 
contract  the  more  binding  in  its  character  because  the 
receipt  of  the  consideration  is  acknowledged.  I tremble  at 
the  apparent  blasphemy  of  even  describing  such  things. 

Mr.  Brantz  Mayer,  in  his  very  interesting  book,  gives  a 
literal  copy  of  an  advertisement  which  was  stuck  up  in  the 
beautiful  church  of  Gaudaloupe  on  the  festival  of  Nuestra 
Senora  de  Gaudaloupe,  of  which  the  following  is  a transla- 
tion : — 

“ The  faithful  are  reminded  that  the  most  illustrious  Bishops  of  Puebla 
and  Tarazora  have  granted  an  indulgence  of  eighty  days  for  every  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  which  the  said  images  are  exposed,  and  five  hundred  days 
for  each  Ave  Maria  which  is  recited  before  either  of  them.  Lastly,  the 
most  excellent  Fr.  Jose  Miria  de  Jesus  Belaumzaron,  for  himself,  and 
for  the  most  illustrious  the  present  Bishops  of  Puebla,  Michoacan, 

* An  indulgence  is  defined  : A remission  of  the  punishment  due  for  sins  ; 
a plenary  indulgence,  is  a remission  of  the  whole  punishment;  a particular 
indulgence,  a remission  of  a part  only. 


44 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


Jolisci,  and  Durango,  has  granted  an  indulgence  of  two  hundred  days  for 
every  word  of  the  appointed  prayers  to  our  most  exalted  lady,  for  every 
step  taken  in  her  house,  for  every  reverence  performed,  and  for  every 
word  of  the  mass  which  may  be  uttered  by  the  priest  or  the  hearers  ; as 
many  more  days  of  indulgence  are  granted  for  every  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  which  these  images  are  exposed,  in  the  balconies,  windows,  or  doors, 
for  public  adoration.” 

A distinguished  friend  of  mine,  who  resided  some  time  in 
Mexico,  has  still  in  his  possession  some  curious  specimens 
of  these  indulgences,  varying,  in  the  number  of  years  of 
remission  of  punishment,  according  to  the  prices  paid  : 
among  others,  one  which  grants  to  a single  prayer  all 
the  good  effects  of  a hundred.  These  effects  are  all 
graduated  according  to  a regular  scale,  so  many  years 
of  remission  for  each  prayer  or  mass,  and  so  many  years 
of  punishment  for  each  sin.  I remember,  on  one  occasion, 
giving  some  order  to  a servant  on  Sunday,  when  he  told 
me  that  he  must  go  to  mass  ; that  he  would  suffer  seven 
thousand  years  in  purgatory  for  every  mass  which  he 
neglected  on  Sunday,  or  any  day  of  religious  festival. 
They  have  a saint  for  all  occasions.  There  is  no  human 
want  that  there  is  not  some  particular  saint  to  whose  par- 
ticular “ line-  of  business  ” the  matter  belongs ; and  by 
proper  devotions  to  him  his  powerful  aid  is  secured.  They 
have  a saint  for  horses,  and  on  the  festival  of  that  saint, 
which  is  his  birth-day,  horses  are  carried  to  the  priest,  and 
for  a small  sum  receive  the  blessing  ; a perfect  security 
against  “ all  the  ills  which  horse  flesh  is  heir  to.”  In  what 
is  such  a superstition  superior  to  the  idol-worship  which  it 
superseded?  That  was  at  least  sincere,  both  on  the  part 
of  priest  and  devotee.  Is  this  ? 

How  enormous  must  be  the  revenues  derived  from  this 
source,  amongst  a people  who  believe  implicitly  in  the 


CHAP.  V.] 


STREETS  AND  BUILDINGS  OF  MEXICO. 


45 


efficacy  of  these  masses  to  purchase,  both  for  the  living 
and  the  dead,  a remission  of  the  punishment  and  torments 
of  purgatory,  and  for  every  crime,  too,  which  man  can 
commit!  In  the  language  of  Tetzel,  the  great  vender 
of  indulgences  in  the  time  of  Luther,' * who  asserted  that 
these  indulgences  which  he  sold  were  efficacious  for  the 
remission  of  every  sin,  even  “ si  quis  virginem  matrem 
vitiasset  (If  one  should  violate  the  Virgin  Mother,  let 
him  pay — let  him  pay  largely,  and  it  shall  be  forgiven 
him).  Even  repentance,”  said  he,  “is  not  necessary,  and 
more  than  all  this,  indulgences  save  not  the  living  alone, 
they  also  save  the  dead.  Ye  priests,  ye  nobles,  ye  trades- 
men, ye  wives,  ye  maidens,  ye  young  men,  hearken  to 
your  departed  parents  and  friends  who  cry  to  you  from  the 
bottomless  abyss,  we  are  enduring  horrible  torments,  a 
small  alms  would  deliver  us ; you  can  give  it,  but  you  will 
not ! The  very  moment,”  continued  Tetzel,  “ that  the 
money  clinks  against  the  bottom  of  the  chest,  the  soul 
escapes  from  purgatory,  and  flies  to  heaven.  Bring  your 
money — bring  money — bring  money!”  The  people  to 
whom  Tetzel  sold  his  indulgences,  from  which  he  received 
so  immense  an  amount,  were  far  less  ignorant  than  the 
mass  of  the  Mexican  population.  At  no  period,  and  in  no 
country,  have  the  efficacy  of  these  indulgences  been  more 
universally  believed  and  relied  upon,  than  they  are  in 
Mexico  at  this  day.  The  reader  may  imagine,  if  he  can, 
the  treasures  with  which  the  coffers  of  the  church  are  filled 
from  this  source  alone. 

The  streets  of  Mexico  are  uncommonly  wide,  much  more 
so  than  is  necessary,  considering  that  they  are  not  obstructed, 
as  in  our  cities,  by  drays  and  wagons.  The  side-walks  are 
uncommonly  narrow.  The  streets  are  all  paved  with  round 
stones  ; the  side-walks  with  very  rough  flat  ones.  The 


46 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


houses  on  the  principal  streets  are  all  two  and  three  stories 
high.  The  elevation  of  the  rooms,  from  the  floor  to  the 
ceiling,  eighteen  and  twenty  feet,  gives  to  a house  of  two 
stories  a greater  height  than  we  are  accustomed  to  see  in 
houses  of  three.  The  roofs  are  all  terraced,  and  have  parapet 
walls  of  three  or  four  feet  high,  answering  all  the  purposes 
of  a breast-work,  a use  too  commonly  made  of  them  in  the 
frequent  revolutions  to  which  that  unfortunate  country 
seems  to  be  for  ever  destined.  The  walls  are  built  of  rough 
stones  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  large  quantities  of  lime 
mortar.  They  are  very  thick,  in  ordinary  buildings  from 
two  to  three  feet,  and  in  the  larger  edifices  of  much  greater 
massiveness.  The  foundations  of  most  of  the  largest  build- 
ings are  made  with  piles.  Even  these  foundations  are  very 
insecure,  and  it  is  surprising  that  they  are  not  more  so,  with 
such  an  immense  weight  of  stone  upon  such  an  unsteady 
foundation.  The  streets  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  di- 
viding the  whole  city  into  squares.  Each  one  of  these  squares 
is  called  a street,  and  has  a separate  name  ; a serious  incon- 
venience to  a stranger  in  the  city.  Instead  of  designating 
the  street  in  its  whole  extent,  by  one  name,  and  numbering 
the  houses,  each  side  of  every  square  has  a different  name, 
and  names  which  sound,  to  Protestant  ears.,  very  much  like 
a violation  of  the  Third  Article  of  the  Decalogue ; such  as 
the  street  of  Jesus,  and  the  street  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  A 
gentleman  will  tell  you  that  he  lives  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  or 
that  he  lives  in  Jesus  ; certainly  not  always  true,  if  taken  in 
the  sense  in  which  our  preachers  use  these  words.  In  most 
of  these  streets  there  is  a church,  which  gives  name  to  the 
street  in  which  it  stands.  In  many  instances  these  churches 
and  convents  (that  of  San  Augustine  for  example)  covers 
the  whole  square,  not  with  separate  buildings,  but  one 
single  edifice,  with  the  usual  patio  or  court,  an  open  space 


CHAP.  V.] 


THE  BUILDINGS  OF  MEXICO. 


47 


in  the  centre.  There  is  not,  I believe,  a house  in  the 
city  without  this  court,  of  greater  or  less  dimensions, 
in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  building.  There  is  only  one 
door  on  the  lower  floor,  and  none  at  all  on  the  outside  of 
the  upper  story.  This  door  is  very  strongly  built,  and  high 
enough  for  a coach  to  pass  through  ; it  opens  into  the  patio 
through  which  you  pass  to  the  steps  leading  to  the  upper 
stories,  where  alone  everybody  lives  except  the  lowest 
classes.  In  all  the  establishments  of  the  better  classes,  the 
basement  story  is  only  occupied  by  the  servants  and  as 
lumber-rooms,  and  what  struck  me  as  very  strange,  as  sta- 
bles. I do  not  suppose  that  there  is  such  a separate  building 
in  the  city  as  a stable.  In  visiting  Count  Certuna,  for  ex- 
ample, whose  whole  establishment  is  altogether  princely, 
and  others  of  equal  splendor  and  luxury,  I found  this  court 
on  the  ground  floor  used  as  a stable,  and  passed  through 
rows  of  horses  and  carriages  to  make  my  way  to  the  most 
spacious  halls,  filled  with  fine  paintings  of  the  great  mas- 
ters, and  furnished  throughout  in  a style  altogether  gorge- 
ous. In  some  of  the  larger  private  buildings  thirty  and 
forty  different  families  reside  ; each  one  having  rented  one 
or  two  rooms  : all  entering  at  the  only  outside  door  into  the 
court,  which  is  the  common  property  of  all — and  from  which 
each  one  has  an  entrance  to  his  own  rooms  on  the  ground 
floor  or  the  gallery  above,  which  runs  all  around  the  build- 
ing. I do  not  think  that  the  area  covered  by  the  city 
of  Mexico  can  exceed  two  miles  in  length,  and  a mile  and 
a half  in  width  ; a very  small  space  to  be  occupied  by  a popu- 
lation of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand.  But,  it  is  not  at  all 
surprising  when  you  see  thirty  or  forty  families,  enough  to 
make  a respectable  village,  all  huddled  away  in  one  house, 
and  consider  what  a large  number  sleep  in  the  open  air  in 


48 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


that  delightful  climate.  How  pure  must  be  the  atmosphere 
when  the  city  of  Mexico  is  so  remarkably  healthy,  notwith- 
standing such  a crowded  and  filthy  mode  of  living,  and 
with  a tropical  sun  shining  upon  the  moist  surface  of  the 
whole  valley  ! One  would  think  the  latter  sufficient  of  itself 
to  produce  the  most  fatal  malaria. 

It  is  a little  curious  that  whilst  the  buildings  and  popula- 
tion of  Mexico  are  thus  crowded  into  so  small  a space,  and 
the  rents  are  three  times  as  high  as  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
yet  all  around  the  city  there  is  a vacant  ground,  and  as  dry 
as  the  city  itself,  which  may  be  had  almost  for  the  taking. 
I was  riding  out  with  a friend  one  evening  when  he  showed 
me  a square  containing  between  five  or  six  acres,  just  in  the 
rear  of  the  Plaza  de  Toros  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and 
not  more  than  half  or  three  quarters  of  a mile  from  the  public 
square,  which  he  had  just  purchased  for  four  hundred  dollars. 
Why  such  lots  are  not  improved  and  the  city  extended,  I 
cannot  easily  comprehend. 

At  the  period  of  the  Conquest,  the  water  of  the  lakes 
flowed  through  all  the  streets  of  the  city,  which  were 
crossed  in  canoes  or  on  bridges.  Inundations  of  the  city 
to  the  height  of  several  feet  were  of  frequent  occurrence. 
These  inundations  were  caused  by  the  overflowing  of  the 
lakes  San  Christoval  and  Zumpango,  and  the  rush  of  their 
waters  into  the  bed  of  the  lake  of  Tezcuco,  on  an  island  in 
which  the  city  of  Mexico  was,  and  near  the  border  of  which 
it  is  now  situated.  The  great  square  of  the  city  of  Mexico 
is  four  feet  one  inch  elevated  above  the  mean  level  of 
the  waters  of  the  lake  Tezcuco ; San  Christoval  is  twelve 
feet  eight  inches,  and  Zumpango  thirty-one  feet  eleven 
inches  higher  than  Tezcuco  ; and  Xachimilco  and 
Chaleo  three  feet  eleven  inches  higher  than  the  city  of 


CHAP.  V.] 


INUNDATIONS  OF  .THE  CITY. 


49 


Mexico.  Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  for  nearly  a century  afterwards,  the  only  protection 
against  these  inundations  consisted  in  dykes  between  the 
lakes  San  Christo val  and  Tezcuco.  In  the  year  1607,  the 
viceroy  determined  to  construct  some  more  effectual  bar- 
rier. The  plan  which  was  adopted  was  to  drain  the  lake 
of  Zumpango  by  a tunnel  and  canal,  which  would  give  a 
different  outlet  to  its  waters.  A tunnel  was  accordingly 
cut  through  the  mountain,  21,654  feet  long  ; and  a canal 
28,216  feet  long,  through  which  the  water  flowed  into  the 
river  Tula,  which  empties  into  the  river  Panuco.  This 
herculean  work  was  finished  by  fifteen  thousand  Indians  in 
eleven  months  ; but,  from  the  giving  way  of  the  roof  of  the 
tunnel,  another  plan  was  resolved  on,  which  was,  to  remove 
the  top  of  the  tunnel,  and  make  it  an  open  canal.  This  last 
work  was  commenced  in  1629,  and  not  completed  until 
1789.  The  whole  length  of  this  canal  is  67,537  feet ; its 
greatest  depth  197  feet,  and  its  greatest  breadth  361  feet. 
There  are  other  stupendous  works  connected  with  this 
canal : the  stone  dykes  between  Zumpango  and  San  Chris- 
toval,  between  the  latter  and  Tezcuco,  and  the  great  canal 
which  empties  the  waters  of  the  Guatillan  into  the  river 
Tula.  The  last  great  inundation  of  the  city  occurred  in  the 
year  1629,  when  the  water  rose  to  the  height  of  three  feet, 
and  remained  so  for  five  years.  It  was  at  length  carried  off 
by  the  effects  of  a succession  of  earthquakes,  but  the  security 
is  still  by  no  means  regarded  as  perfect.  There  are  clouds 
called  culebras  (snakes),  from  some  supposed  resemblance 
in  form,  which  portend  heavy  rains,  and  always  cause  a 
general  apprehension  of  an  inundation.  At  such  times,  all 
the  bells  in  the  city  are  rung,  for  the  purpose  of  propitiating 
the  God  of  the  storm,  and  averting  the  calamity.  The 
4 


50 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  V. 


result  has  always  been  favorable — whether  from  the  ring- 
ing of  the  bells  and  post  hoc  ergo  propter  hoc , I shall  not 
decide.  In  this  connection,  I will  mention  another  equally 
curious  superstition  ; — I do  not  know  that  it  is  peculiar  to 
Mexico.  At  a late  hour  every  evening  all  the  bells  of  the 
city  are  tolled,  and  the  belief  is,  that  whilst  the  bells  are 
ringing,  the  souls  in  purgatory  are  released  from  torment. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Early  visit  to  Mr.  Kendall,  of  the  Santa  Fe  Expedition — Death  of  the 
wife  of  Santa  Anna — Presentation  to  Santa  Anna — Historical  Sketch — 
Career  of  Santa  Anna — Victoria. 

I arrived  in  Mexico  on  Saturday  evening,  and  early  on 
Sunday  morning  I went  to  see  Mr.  Kendall  and  the  Texan 
prisoners.  Although  I had  not  then  any  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  Mr.  Kendall,  I felt  a deep  interest  in  his  suffer- 
ings, an  interest  which  was  heightened  by  the  terms  in 
which  many  of  my  friends  in  New  Orleans  had  spoken  of 
him  to  me.  I was  very  sure  that  no  man  who  did  not  pos- 
sess fine  qualities  could  have  inspired  the  feelings  which 
were  entertained  towards  him.  I felt  it  to  be  my  duty  that 
my  first  visit  should  be  to  him.  I did  not  believe  that  by 
doing  so  I should  in  any  way  give  offence  to  the  Mexican 
Government,  or  diminish  my  ability  to  procure  his  release. 
I have  always  found  the  highest  policy  to  consist  m pur- 
suing the  promptings  of  just  and  honorable  sentiments.  I 
am  satisfied  that  it  was  so  in  this  case.  Desirous  as  I was 
to  see  Mr.  Kendall,  my  visit  to  him  thus  promptly  was 
dictated  quite  as  much  by  policy  as  by  feeling  ; I knew 
that  all  the  movements  of  the  new  American  minister  were 
closely  observed,  and  that  it  was  generally  supposed  that  I 
had  gone  to  Mexico  specially  on  account  of  the  American 
citizens  confined  there,  and  with  very  strong  instructions. 
I have  reason  to  know  that  my  visit  to  Kendall  was  imme- 
diately reported  at  the  palace,  and  the  effect  was  what  I 


52 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


anticipated  and  desired.  He  was  confined  in  the  hospital 
of  San  Lazaro — a most  appropriate  name.  I have  visited 
many  hospitals  in  the  United  States,  but  never  have  I seen 
such  an  exhibition  of  loathsome  disease.  The  brother  of 
Mary  and  Martha  would  have  been  a healthy-looking  and 
well-dressed  gentleman,  compared  with  any  of  the  inmates 
of  this  hospital  bearing  his  name.  Mr.  Kendall  was 
quietly  seated  amongst  the  lepers,  looking  over  some 
American  newspapers  which  I had  sent  him  the  evening 
before.  I took  my  seat  by  him,  and  became  so  much  inter- 
ested in  conversation  with  him,  that  I did  not  think,  for 
some  time,  of  the  danger  to  which  I was  exposed  in  breath- 
ing the  very  air  of  pestilence. 

I went  from  San  Lazaro  to  the  convent  of  St.  Jago,  where 
the  other  prisoners  of  the  Santa  F 6 expedition  were  con- 
fined. This  convent  is  situated  on  the  great  square  of 
Tlatilalco,  and  I stood  on  the  spot  where  the  Spaniards  at 
last  succeeded  in  capturing  “ the  hero  boy”  Guatemozin, 
who  made  so  glorious  and  heroic  a defence  of  his  country 
against  the  Spanish  invaders.  I know  of  no  siege  recorded 
in  history  which  equals  that  of  Mexico,  in  the  indomitable 
spirit  and  stern  fortitude  which  were  displayed,  and  the 
extent  of  the  sufferings  endured  by  the  besieged,  nor  a 
scene  more  touching,  nor  language  more  truly  heroic  than 
that  of  Guatemozin  when  brought  a prisoner  into  the  pre- 
sence of  Cortes  ; " I have  done  all  which  it  was  my  duty  to 
do  in  the  defence  of  my  country  and  people  until  I am 
reduced  to  my  present  condition,  now  do  with  me  as  you 
please.” 

At  the  period  of  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  the  wife  of 
General  Santa  Anna,  who  is  since  dead,  was  dangerously 
ill.  The  night  after  my  arrival,  the  last  ceremonies  of  the 
Romish  Church,  and  the  last  consolations  of  that  religion 


CHAP.  VI.]  DEATH  OF  THE  WIFE  OF  SANTA  ANNA. 


53 


were  administered  to  her  with  a magnificent  procession  of 
all  the  dignitaries  of  the  church,  headed  by  the  archbishop, 
and  numbering  altogether  more  than  twenty  thousand  per- 
sons ; amongst  whom  (I  place  them  in  the  order  which  is 
that  of  precedence  there)  were  all  the  highest  officers  of  the 
church,  the  army  and  the  government.  She  was  spoken  of 
by  every  one,  even  the  bitterest  enemies  of  her  husband,  as 
a lady  of  rare  virtue,  and  with  the  benevolence  which  belongs 
to  the  character  of  woman  everywhere,  she  had  strenuously 
exerted  all  her  influence  with  her  husband  for  the  release 
of  the  Texan  prisoners.  Under  ordinary  circumstances,  I 
should  have  felt  restrained  by  his  domestic  afflictions  from 
urging  the  President  for  my  presentation,  but  the  vessel 
which  carried  me  to  Vera  Cruz  would  be  detained  to  take 
home  my  predecessor,  Mr.  Ellis,  and  the  yellow  fever  was 
raging  there  with  an  almost  unprecedented  fatality.  I felt 
great  solicitude  for  the  health  of  the  officers  and  crew — 
and  was  anxious  that  their  exposure  to  the  pestilence  should 
be  as  brief  as  possible  ; I felt,  too,  that  every  moment  which 
Kendall  and  other  Americans  were  unjustly  confined  in 
Mexico,  was  a reproach  upon  their  government,  and 
although  I did  not  for  a moment  suppose  that  I could  do 
anything  in  their  behalf — which,  under  the  circumstances, 
would  not  have  been  done  by  the  worthy  and  most 
faithful  minister  who  then  represented  our  country  in 
Mexico — yet,  I was  apprised  that  the  Mexican  cabinet 
looked  with  much  apprehension  upon  what  they  supposed 
the  instructions  of  the  new  minister,  and  the  high  ground 
which  they  anticipated  that  he  would  take.  I was  anxious 
to  avail  myself  of  this  state  of  feeling,  and  to  enter  upon  my 
duties  at  the  earliest  moment.  Notwithstanding  the  dan- 
gerous illness  of  the  Senora  Santa  Anna,  an  audience  was 
granted  me.  I had  intended  to  have  delivered  my  address 


54 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


upon  my  presentation  in  English,  but  a circumstance 
occurring  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  mention,  deter- 
mined me  to  risk  my  Spanish.  I,  of  course,  had  to  allude 
to  the  President’s  wife,  and  in  doing  so  I spoke  of  her,  as 
“ son  estimable  esposa,”  your  estimable  wife  ; I sen  no  Eng- 
lish copy  of  my  address  to  the  United  States,  but  it  was 
published  in  Spanish  papers  of  the  city,  some  of  which 
came  to  this  country,  and  the  bungling  translator  for  some 
of  our  papers  translated  the  words  “ son  estimable  esposa,” 
your  estimable  spouse.  Now,  although  the  word  “ spouse” 
is  pure  old  English,  perhaps  it  is  a little  too  old,  and  I was 
a good  deal  ridiculed  for  using  it,  but  the  ridicule  was  due 
to  the  translator,  not  to  me  ; I did  not  choose  to  correct  the 
mistake,  thinking  of  the  story  of  Alcibiades  and  his  dog — and 
I think  I have  cause  of  congratulation  considering  that  I 
was  only  two  years  in  Mexico,  and  that  during  that  time 
so  many  important  and  difficult  questions  were  thrown  upon 
the  mission,  if  this  was  the  only  cause  which  I gave  for  cen- 
sure or  ridicule.  When  I was  presented,  General  Santa 
Anna  and  all  his  cabinet  ministers  were  dressed  in  rich  mili- 
tary uniforms.  I was  struck  with  the  contrast  to  the  simple 
unostentatious  habits  of  our  own  Chief  Magistrate  ; but  it 
was  illustrative  of  the  difference  between  the  two  govern- 
ments,— the  principal  points  of  resemblance  between  which 
are  in  name.  If  Mexico  ever  has  been  a Republic,  it  has 
been  a military  Republic. 

General  Santa  Anna  has  for  the  last  quarter  of  a century 
played  so  conspicuous  a part  in  the  drama  of  Mexican  poli- 
tics and  civil  war,  as  to  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
world,  and  to  have  made  his  name  in  some  degree  historic. 
No  history  of  his  country  for  that  period  can  be  written 
without  the  constant  mention  of  his  name  ; indeed,  I regard 
him,  as  more  than  any  other  man,  the  author  and  finisher  of 


CHAP.  VI.] 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 


55 


the  last  and  successful  struggle  of  Mexico  for  Independ- 
ence and  a Republican  form  of  government.  The  first 
abortive  effort  which  was  commenced  in  1809,  by  Hidalgo 
and  Allende,  had  not  for  its  object  the  establishment  of  a 
Republic,  or  of  free  institutions  ; if,  indeed,  free  institutions 
can  exist  under  any  other  form  of  government.  That 
movement  had  its  origin  in  feelings  of  enthusiastic  and 
devoted  loyalty,  which  up  to  that  time  was  the  ruling 
passion  in  the  heart  of  every  Spaniard.  The  abdication  of  the 
legitimate  monarch  of  Spain,  the  atrocious  perfidy  by  which 
it  was  obtained,  and  the  transference  of  the  sovereignty 
of  the  country  to  the  Emperor  of  France,  which  country 
had  for  centuries  been  regarded  as  the  hereditary  enemy  of 
Spain,  were  the  true  causes  of  the  insurrection  in  Mexico  in 
1809.  It  was  begun  under  the  auspices  of  the  Spanish  vice- 
roy, and  had  for  its  object,  real  as  well  as  professed,  the  saving 
of  that  portion  of  his  dominions  for  Ferdinand  VII.  Al- 
though that  movement  was  commenced  by  Hidalgo,  a 
priest,  and  afterwards  prosecuted  by  Morelos,  another  priest, 
yet  the  great  body  of  the  clergy  were  opposed  to  it,  and  it 
of  course  failed.  I say  of  course  failed,  for  a residence  in 
a Catholic  country  has  thoroughly  satisfied  me  that  no  poli- 
tical movement  can  succeed  where  that  religion  prevails,  to 
which  the  priesthood  is  opposed.  And  it  will  constitute  a new 
epoch  in  history  whenever  that  priesthood  is  not  opposed  to 
any  great  movement  in  favor  of  human  liberty.  I know  no 
sympathy  which  is  stronger  than  that  of  the  Catholic  clergy 
with  despotic  power — nothing  so  fatal  to  these  pretensions 
as  the  unshackling  of  the  human  mind  by  the  spirit  and  the 
influence  of  free  institutions.  The  struggle  was  continued 
with  ever-changing  leaders,  and  various  results,  until  1821, 
when  General  Iturbide,  a Spanish  officer  in  command  of  a 
large  army  intended  to  crush  the  small  remnant  of  the  pa- 


56 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


triot  forces,  and  to  extinguish  the  smouldering  embers  of 
the  revolution,  went  over  to  the  cause  of  the  patriots,  and 
at  once  changed  the  whole  face  of  affairs.  In  truth,  the  de- 
fection of  Iturbide  was  in  itself  the  revolution.  The  inde- 
pendence of  the  country  was  achieved  without  a single 
'battle,  or  a blow  being  struck  by  Spain.  But  the  real 
patriots  of  the  country  very  soon  discovered  that  it  was 
not  the  liberty  of  their  country  which  they  had  achieved,  but 
only  a change  of  masters.  In  one  year  and  three  months 
after  the  adhesion  of  Iturbide  to  the  cause  of  independence, 
he  usurped  the  supreme  power,  and  was  declared  emperor 
by  the  army  and  a wild  mob  of  ragged  leperos.  Although 
there  was  a large  number  of  republicans,  and  as  enthusi- 
astic and  devoted  patriots  as  any  country  ever  produced, 
the  revolution  was  really  no  more  a movement  in  favor  of 
liberty  than  was  that  of  1809.  Its  real  authors  were  the 
priests,  and  therefore  it  succeeded.  Certain  decrees  of  the 
Spanish  Cortes,  confiscating  the  estates,  and  otherwise  en- 
croaching upon  the  prerogatives  of  the  church,  caused  great 
excitement  amongst  the  Mexican  clergy,  and  they  put  the 
ball  of  revolution  in  motion,  never  dreaming  that  it  would 
roll  as  far  as  it  did.  The  basis  of  the  movement  was  what 
was  called  the  plan  of  Iguala,  or  the  Three  Guarantees, 
which  was  drawn  up  by  Iturbide,  and  submitted  by  him  to 
the  chiefs  of  the  army  on  the  24th  February,  1821,  who 
were  then  assembled  at  Iguala.  This  paper  sets  forth  the 
three  great  objects  of  the  revolution  : 

1.  The  preservation  of  the  holy  Catholic  religion. 

2.  The  intimate  union  of  Creoles  and  Europeans. 

3.  The  separate  independence  of  Mexico. 

The  form  of  the  government  was  to  be  a limited  monar- 
chy, and  the  crown  to  be  offered  to  Ferdinand  VII.  As  I 
before  remarked,  the  defection  of  Iturbide  consummated 


CHAP.  VI.] 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 


57 


the  revolution  without  the  shedding  of  one  drop  of  blood. 
He  who  had  proven  himself  false  to  his  king,  was  not  less 
so  to  his  country  and  the  cause  of  liberty  which  he  had  es- 
poused. He  very  soon  evinced  by  many  arrogant  and 
arbitrary  acts  what  were  his  real  purposes  and  objects,  and 
on  the  night  of  the  18th  of  May,  1822,  he  was  proclaimed  em- 
peror. Having  thus,  by  double  treachery  to  his  sovereign 
and  country,  acquired  the  supreme  power,  his  first  acts 
showed  that  he  was  ambitious  to  add  to  the  epithets  to 
which  he  had  entitled  himself,  that  of  tyrant  also. 

No  similar  body,  under  like  circumstances,  has  evinced 
more  virtue,  firmness,  and  constancy,  than  did  the  Congress 
of  Mexico  in  resisting  the  usurpation  and  tyranny  of  Itur- 
bide,  surrounded  as  he  wTas  by  his  pretorian  band.  But  all 
resistance  seemed  in  vain,  and  the  power  of  the  usurper 
seemed  to  be  firmly  established,  the  republican  party  utterly 
0 crushed,  and  the  spirit  of  liberty  itself  extinguished,  ex- 
cept in  a few  heroic  bosoms.  Bravo  had  retired  to  the 
south,  and  Victoria  was  hiding  himself  in  the  caverns  of  the 
mountains,  whilst  Iturbide  was  revelling  in  imperial  splen- 
dor, surrounded  by  an  army  of  fifteen  thousand  men. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  write  either  a history  of  the  Mex- 
ican revolution  or  a biography  of  General  Santa  Anna,  but 
this  sketch  is  necessary  to  enable  the  reader  justly  to  appre- 
ciate the  public  career  and  character  of  the  latter. 

Such,  then,  was  the  state  of  things  in  Mexico  in  January, 
1823,  when  General  Santa  Anna,  then  only  a Colonel,  and 
in  command  of  a single  regiment  in  Vera  Cruz,  raised  the 
banner  once  more  of  republican  liberty,  and  forthwith  com- 
menced his  march  towards  Mexico,  unsupported  but  by  his 
own  regiment.  Iturbide  despatched  General  Echavari 
to  meet  him,  and,  as  he  did  not  doubt,  to  crush  the  rebellion 
at  a single  blow.  After  various  skirmishes  between  Jalapa 


58 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


and  Vera  Cruz,  where  they  met,  Santa  Anna  managed  to 
bring  over  General  Echavari  to  the  republican  cause, 
with  all  his  force.  This  at  once  gave  him  the  command 
of  a respectable  army,  and  well-grounded  hopes  of  success. 
Santa  Anna  was  then  only  thirty  years  of  age,  and  had  no 
extended  reputation  in  the  country.  He  was  only  known 
as  an  intrepid  and  successful  Colonel  of  a regiment,  and  he 
wisely  considered  that  the  great  interests  involved,  required 
that  the  chief  command  should  be  given  to  some  of  the  old 
heroes  of  the  Revolution,  whose  name  would  be  a watch- 
word for  every  Mexican  patriot ; and  he  at  once  deter- 
mined to  call  Victoria  from  his  hiding-place  in  the  moun- 
tains, to  give  him  the  chief  command,  and  to  serve  in  a 
subordinate  station  himself.  The  revolution  was  soon  con- 
summated; Iturbide  dethroned  and  banished,  and  a federal 
Republic  ultimately  established.  Santa  Anna,  from  the 
first,  declared  in  favor  of  this  form  of  government,  and 
zealously  aided  in  its  establishment.  There  was  another 
and  a powerful  party  in  favor  of  a central  government.  He 
faithfully  sustained  the  government  thus  established,  until 
it  was  fairly  tried  and  generally  thought,  by  the  most 
enlightened  men,  that  the  experiment  had  failed.  Any  opi- 
nion, which  my  short  residence  in  the  country  would  enable 
me  to  form  upon  this  question,  would  not  be  entitled  to  much 
weight.  But  I confess  that  I shall  be  most  agreeably  sur- 
prised if  a Federal  Republic  shall  succeed  in  Mexico,  for 
many  years  to  come ; nor  do  I see  much  reason  for  such  a 
form  of  government  there.  The  representative  principle  is 
the  great  security  of  the  rights  of  the  citizen,  and  it  is  an 
all-sufficient  security  where  the  interests  of  the  constituent 
and  the  representative  are  identical.  I do  not  mean  the 
interest  of  the  individual  constituent  and  representative,  but 
of  the  constituent  and  representative  bodies.  This  identity 


CHAP,  VI.] 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH. 


59 


does  not  exist  in  a country  embracing  various  and  antago- 
nist interests,  and  those  interests  concentrated  in  different 
and  distinct  sections,  as  in  our  own  country.  In  such  a 
case  the  interest  of  a majority  of  the  representatives  may 
be  directly  opposed  to  the  interests  of  the  minority,  who 
may  thus  not  only  be  injured  by  acts  of  legislation  not 
only  not  injurious,  but  positively  beneficial  to  the  majority 
of  the  representative  body,  and  their  immediate  constitu- 
ency. The  only  security  in  such  a state  of  things  is  the 
federal  principle  ; and  the  great  difficulty  exists  in  the  com- 
bination of  the  federal  and  representative  principles.  How 
far  it  is  practicable  to  combine  these  principles,  is  the  great 
problem  in  political  philosophy  which  we  have  undertaken 
to  solve.  It  is  probable  that  we  may  be  able  to  do  it  suc- 
cessfully. But  it  is  scarcely  possible  for  Mexico  ; nor  is 
there  much  necessity  for  such  an  experiment  there.  In 
Mexico  there  is  no  such  variety  of  productions  and  employ- 
ments, and  therefore  no  such  conflict  of  antagonist  interests 
as  to  prevent  one  government  from  operating  equally  bene- 
ficially on  all  the  different  sections  of  the  country ; and 
therefore  the  less  necessity  for  the  partition  of  the  powers 
of  government  between  one  whose  objects  are  purely  inter- 
nal, and  another  exclusively  external  and  national.  It  is 
much  to  be  feared,  too,  from  the  great  extent  of  the  Terri- 
tory, and  the  sparseness  and  ignorance  of  the  population, 
that  a federal  government  would,  in  Mexico,  really  be  no 
government  at  all. 

That  such  a form  of  government  is  the  best  for  us,  is  no 
good  reason  that  it  is  the  best  also  for  Mexico,  but  rather 
the  contrary.  Governments  should  be  cautiously  adapted 
to  all  the  general  peculiarities  of  a people ; and  every  peo- 
ple has  these  peculiarities.  The  government  which  would 
suit  one  would,  therefore,  not  be  apt  to  suit  another  people 


60 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  VI. 


equally  well.  I ride  my  own  gentle  and  well-trained  horse 
with  a light  bridle,  but  it  is  no  reason  why  my  neighbor, 
whose  horse  is  wild  and  untractable,  should  do  the  same. 

This  short  retrospect  of  Mexican  history  will,  I think, 
satisfy  the  reader  that  Santa  Anna  is  entitled  to  all  the 
credit  of  beginning  the  last  and  successful  movement  for 
the  establishment  of  a Republican  government  in  Mexico, 
and  under  circumstances  in  which  very  few  men  would  have 
had  the  boldness  to  have  attempted  it.  When  the  whole 
country  was  trembling  under  the  absolute  and  despotic 
power  of  Iturbide,  and  the  spirit  of  resistance  and  the 
hopes  of  liberty  almost  extinguished,  unsupported  but  by  his 
single  regiment,  he  unfurled  his  banner,  and  instantly  com- 
menced the  march  towrards  the  capital,  where  Iturbide  was 
surrounded  by  15,000  veteran  troops.  Where  shall  we 
find  an  instance  of  greater  disinterestedness  than  that  of  this 
young  and  ambitious  officer,  surrendering  to  another  the 
chief  command,  and  the  glory  of  the  achievement,  if  it 
should  be  successful,  at  the  same  time  that  his  own  danger 
and  responsibility  were  in  no  degree  diminished  in  the 
event  of  a failure  ? 

A passing  word  as  to  Gen.  Victoria.  The  annals  of  the 
Mexican  war  of  independence  furnish  many  incidents  and 
characters  worthy  of  a place  in  the  pages  of  Plutarch — - 
luminous  traces  in  the  general  darkness  of  faction  and  an- 
archy— none  of  these  characters  command  more  of  my 
respect  than  that  of  Gaudaloupe  Victoria.  Through  all 
the  changing  phases  of  that  struggle  he  was  always  con- 
stant and  faithful.  He  never  despaired  of  the  ultimate 
success  of  the  cause  of  republican  liberty — faltered  in  its 
support,  or  compromised  with  its  enemies.  When  the 
Spanish  power  had  entirely  suppressed  the  insurrection  of 
Hidalgo  and  Morelos,  Victoria  fled  to  the  mountains,  where 


CHAP.  VI.] 


CAREER  OF  SANTA  ANNA. 


61 


he  remained  in  concealment  until  deceived  by  the  profes- 
sions of  Iturbide,  and  believing  that  the  liberty  of  his  coun- 
try was  his  real  as  it  was  his  professed  object,  he  rallied 
under  his  standard.  When  the  real  designs  of  Iturbide 
were  developed,  and  he  usurped  the  supreme  power,  we  do 
not  find  Victoria  mingling  with  the  throng  of  his  minions, 
filling  the  high  station  which  it  was  in  his  power  to  have 
done,  and  revelling  in  the  splendors  of  the  Imperial  Court. 
We  find  him  again  the  occupant  of  his  cavern  in  the  moun- 
tains, enduring  privations  and  sufferings  which  give  to  his 
life  more  the  air  of  a romance  than  of  real  history.  Santa 
Anna  again  unfurls  the  banner  of  freedom,  and  Victoria 
again  emerges  from  his  hiding-place,  and  rallies  under  it. 
Wherever  and  whenever  that  banner  was  raised,  without 
calculating  the  chances  of  success  or  the  consequences  of 
failure,  this  brave  and  virtuous  man,  with  a romantic  devo- 
tion to  the  liberty  of  his  country,  never  hesitated  in  his 
course.  The  crowning  glory  of  his  life  is,  that  he  died  so 
poor  that  he  was  buried  at  the  public  expense,  and  this 
after  filling  the  highest  offices  of  his  country,  where  the  fa- 
cilities of  peculation  are  infinite,  and  the  practice  of  it 
much  too  common.* 

I shall  pass  over  in  this  notice  of  the  public  career  of 
Santa  Anna,  all  the  events  of  the  war,  in  which  he  bore  a 
part,  between  the  dethronement  of  Iturbide  and  the  landing 
of  the  Spanish  General  Barradas  at  Tampico  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1829,  in  command  of  4000  Spanish  veterans,  with 
the  confident  hope  of  crushing  for  ever  the  revolutionary 
movement  in  Mexico.  Active  hostilities  on  the  part  of  the 
mother  country  had  been  so  long  suspended  that  Mexico 
did  not  anticipate  such  an  invasion,  and  was  wholly  unpre- 

* A Sketch  of  Victoria  taken  from  Ward’s  Mexico  will  be  found  in  the 
Appendix. 


62 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


pared  to  meet  it.  Santa  Anna,  who  was  in  Vera  Cruz, 
was  no  sooner  informed  of  the  landing  of  the  Spaniards 
than  he  immediately  collected  a force  of  seven  hundred 
men  and  crossed  the  gulf  in  open  boats,  a distance  of  sixty 
miles,  and  landed  at  Zuspan,  avoiding  the  Spanish  vessels 
of  war  which  were  cruising  in  the  gulf.  From  Zuspan  he 
transported  his  troops  in  canoes  and  perogues  across  the 
Lake  Jomiahua,  and  disembarked  within  three  leagues  of 
Tampico,  which  town  the  Spanish  army  then  occupied. 
Santa  Anna  was  informed  when  he  landed  that  General 
Barradas  had  gone  on  an  expedition  into  the  interior  with 
three  thousand  men,  leaving  one  thousand  to  garrison  the 
fortress.  He  resolved  on  an  immediate  attack,  which  he 
made  at  daylight  the  next  morning,  1st  of  August,  1829, 
and  after  a vigorous  assault  of  four  hours,  the  garrison  ca- 
pitulated. The  capitulation  had  scarcely  been  concluded, 
when  General  Barradas  made  his  appearance  at  the  head 
of  three  thousand  men  : Santa  Anna  was  cut  off  from  the 
possibility  of  a retreat  by  the  river,  which  flowed  between 
the  fort  where  he  then  was,  and  his  quarters.  In  this  criti- 
cal emergency,  nothing  could  have  saved  him  but  one  of 
those  stratagems  which  have  so  often  decided  the  fate  of 
armies  and  of  empires,  and  of  which  the  mind  of  Santa 
Anna  has  so  often  shown  itself  in  an  eminent  degree  fruit- 
ful. He  managed  to  impress  General  Barradas  with  the 
conviction  that  he  was  at  the  head  of  an  overwhelming  force, 
which  the  Spanish  General  the  more  readily  believed  as 
he  could  not  have  imagined  that  without  such  a force  such 
an  enterprise  would  have  been  attempted.  He,  therefore, 
instead  of  an  immediate  attack,  proposed  to  enter  into  ne- 
gotiations, and  that  whilst  those  negotiations  were  going 
on,  Santa  Anna  should  return  to  his  own  quarters.  To 
this  Santa  Anna  consented,  and  with  drums  beating  and 


CHAP.  VI.] 


CAREER  OF  SANTA  ANNA. 


63 


banners  waving,  crossed  the  river  and  returned  in  safety  to 
his  quarters.  The  mortification  of  Barradas  was  extreme 
when  he  ascertained  that  this  miserable  force  of  little  more 
than  six  hundred  men  had  caused  him  such  terror,  and  had 
escaped  from  his  clutches ; such,  however,  were  the  effects 
produced  upon  the  Spanish  General  by  the  extraordinary 
gallantry  of  the  act  that  he  did  not  attack  the  Mexican 
General  even  after  he  was  informed  of  the  extreme  weak- 
ness of  his  force.  Santa  Anna  was  reinforced  in  a few 
days  by  some  four  or  five  hundred  men.  He  attacked  the 
Spaniards  every  night  and  generally  successfully ; and  on 
the  11th  of  September,  a vigorous  attack  was  made  upon 
the  fort  on  the  Bar,  which  was  garrisoned  by  a regiment 
of  Spanish  troops,  when  the  Spanish  General  entered  into  a 
capitulation,  surrendering  all  his  arms  and  munitions  of 
war.  The  remnant  of  the  Spanish  invading  army,  amount- 
ing to  about  twenty-two  hundred,  sailed  shortly  afterwards 
for  Havana.  Santa  Anna’s  force  at  no  time  exceeded  fif- 
teen hundred  men.  This  was  the  last  attempt  which  was 
made  by  Spain  to  recover  her  power  in  Mexico. 

Taking  all  the  circumstances  attending  the  campaign  of 
Tampico,  the  desperate  courage  which  could  alone  have 
suggested  it,  and  the  consummate  prudence  and  caution  in 
its  execution,  one  is  forcibly  reminded  of  General  Jackson’s 
attack  of  the  British,  on  the  23d  of  December.  I do  not 
mean,  by  comparing  them,  to  say  that  they  are  in  any  de- 
gree equal ; nor  do  I know  any  campaign  in  history  which 
can  be  advantageously  compared  with  that  of  General 
Jackson  in  Louisiana.  It  was  a miracle — I think  the 
greatest  miracle  in  military  history,  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  vast  superiority  of  the  enemy,  who  that  enemy  was, 
and  the  general  result  in  killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides. 

The  revolution  which  Santa  Anna  set  on  foot  and  con- 


64 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VI. 


summated  in  the  fall  of  1841,  which  resulted  in  the  over- 
throw and  banishment  of  President  Bustamente,  exhibited 
the  same  boldness  in  the  undertaking,  and  tact  and  sagacity 
in  its  execution.  Bustamente  was  in  Mexico,  in  command 
of  eight  thousand  troops  : he  himself  an  old  commander  of 
much  experience  and  reputation,  and  undoubted  courage  ; 
Santa  Anna  was  on  his  estate  at  Mango  de  Clavo,  near  Vera 
Cruz.  He  pronounced  (that  is  the  Mexican  word  for  com- 
mencing a revolution)  against  Bustamente,  and  forthwith 
took  up  the  line  of  march  towards  Mexico,  at  the  head  of 
four  or  five  hundred  men ; not  soldiers,  but  such  men  as  he 
could  pick  up  about  Yera  Cruz,  and  on  his  estates;  and, 
with  no  other  force  but  these  raggamuffins,  he  had  the 
audacity  to  show  himself  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
city  of  Mexico.  Bustamente  did  not  attack  him  for  a few 
days,  from  some  cause,  probably  contempt  for  the  move- 
ment ; but  these  few  days  were  fatal  to  him,  and  in  a few 
days  more  he  was  forced  to  surrender  his  power  and  leave 
the  country. 

A provisional  government  was  organized  by  the  chiefs 
of  the  army  assembled  at  Tacubaya,  a village  three  miles 
from  Mexico.  By  the  seventh  article  of  this  provisional 
government,  “ as  he  understood  it,”  Santa  Anna  was  in- 
vested, in  effect,  with  absolute  power.  This  provisional 
government  was  to  last  until  a new  constitution  was  formed, 
and  the  government  organized  under  it.  This  was  not  done 
until  shortly  before  I left  the  country,  and  the  only  consti- 
tution which  was  in  force  during  my  residence  there  was 
the  plan  of  Tacubaya;  and  I must  say,  that  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  laws  which  were  dictated  by  Santa  Anna  during 
that  time,  I think  there  were  very  few  which  were  not 
wise  and  necessary.  And  it  should  redound  to  his  lasting 
honor,  that,  surrounded  as  he  was  by  faction,  intrigue,  and 


CHAP.  VI.] 


CAREER  OF  SANTA  ANNA. 


65 


enemies,  who  have  since  overthrown  him,  in  no  single 
instance  was  any  man  punished  for  a political  offence. 
Very  few  dictators,  in  possession  of  absolute  power  for  the 
same  length  of  time,  and  surrounded  by  the  same  circum- 
stances, can  say  as  much.  The  reader  will,  at  least,  agree 
that  he  is  not  the  sanguinary  monster  which  some  have 
supposed  him  to  be. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Official  and  Private  Intercourse  with  Santa  Anna — Santa  Anna’s  First 
Interview  with  General  Jackson — His  Explanation  of  the  Massacre  of 
the  Alamo — Decimation  of  the  Prisoners  of  Mier — Anecdotes  of  Grati- 
tude and  Humanity  in  Santa  Anna — Character  of  Santa  Anna. 

After  this  sketch,  and  it  is  a very  brief  one,  of  some  of 
the  leading  events  in  the  public  career  of  General  Santa 
Anna,  if  the  reader  is  sufficiently  interested  I pro- 
pose to  devote  another  chapter  to  an  account  of  some 
incidents  of  my  official  and  private  intercourse  with  him, 
and  of  many  other  matters  which  will  perhaps  be  more 
illustrative  of  his  character  and  feelings  as  a man. 

General  Santa  Anna,  is  now  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He 
is  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  with  a finely  proportioned 
person.  His  complexion  is  of  an  olive  cast,  but  not  indi- 
cating any  mixture  of  blood,  although  I believe  he  is  not  of 
pure  Castilian  lineage.  I do  not  know  that  I have  ever 
seen  a more  striking  and  finely  formed  head  and  face ; 
there  is  scarcely  a feature  or  a point  in  either  that  Spurz- 
heim  or  Lavater  would  desire  to  change.  I remember  to 
have  heard  a distinguished  American  statesman  remark 
when  Santa  Anna  was  in  Washington,  that  he  had  rarely 
seen  a face  indicative  in  a higher  degree  of  talent,  firmness, 
and  benevolence  ; and  when  I say  as  I do,, that  I think  that  h:s 
face  is  not  an  inaccurate  index  to  the  volume  of  his  charac- 
ter, I beg  the  reader  not  to  start  and  lay  down  the  book 
before  he  has  read  a few  incidents  which  I propose  to  nar- 
rate, and  for  most  of  which  I vouch,  as  they  have  passed 


CHAP.  VII.]  INTERVIEW  WITH  SANTA  ANNA.  67 

under  my  own  observation.  I Well  aware  that  I should 
better  satisfy  the  great  mass  of  readers  both  in  this  country 
and  in  Mexico,  by  speaking  in  a different  vein  of  this  now 
fallen  man  ; but  it  would  be  both  unjust  and  ungrateful  in 
me  to  do  so.  I trust  that  I may  without  impropriety  say, 
that  the  history  of  my  mission  will  show  that  I never 
stooped  to  flatter  General  Santa  Anna  when  at  the  height 
of  his  power,  neither  can  I find  it  in  my  heart  to  traduce 
him  now.  He  has  at  different  times,  at  my  instance, 
released  from  imprisonment  more  than  two  hundred  Texan 
prisoners,  and  has  so  often  afforded  me  that  highest  of  all 
happiness,  that  of  making  others  happy,  that  I should  be  gra- 
tified to  know  that  in  his  present  fallen  state  anything  which 
I may  write  of  him  has  given  him  one  moment’s  gratifica- 
tion. I shall  not,  however,  be  betrayed  by  this  desire  into 
writing  one  line  which  my  own  deliberate  judgment  does 
not  approve. 

Mr.  Poinsett  had  an  interview  with  General  Santa  Anna  in 
1822.  He  saw  and  judged  of  him  free  from  the  false  glare 
of  high  position  and  extended  reputation.  Santa  Anna  was 
then  only  a colonel  of  a regiment.  Mr.  Poinsett  was  particu- 
larly struck  with  his  high  bearing  and  polished  manners. 
Mme.  Calderon  de  la  Barca  bears  the  same  testimony  to  the 
grace,  ease,  naturalness  of  his  manners,  and  the  thoughtful- 
ness and  repose  which  are  so  striking  in  his  countenance  ; and 
on  this  subject  there  is  no  authority  so  conclusive  as  that  of 
a well-bred  and  accomplished  lady.  I have  seen  no  coun- 
tenance except  that  of  General  Jackson,  whose  range  of 
expression  was  so  great,  where  there  was  so  great  a differ- 
ence between  the  quiet  expression  of  the  face  when  at 
rest  and  in  a gentle  mood,  and  its  terrible  ferocity  when  highly 
excited.  The  mildness  of  the  lamb  and  the  fierceness  of 
the  enraged  tiger  would  not  much  too  strongly  express  this 


68 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


difference.  Such  is  his  character,  by  nature  kind  and 
affectionate,  but  subject  to  bursts  of  passion  fiery  and  fierce. 
He  is  a Spaniard  ; a race  which,  with  its  many  noble  traits 
of  character,  is  everywhere  regarded  as  more  than 
ordinarily  sanguinary  ; perhaps  not  more  so  by  nature 
than  others.  They  have  been  from  the  earliest  period 
engaged  in  civil  wars,  and  civil  wars  are  everywhere  san- 
guinary to  a proverb.  That  between  the  Goths  and  the 
Moors  lasted  for  eight  hundred  years,  and  there  were  ele- 
ments in  that  protracted  contest  calculated  to  increase  even 
the  characteristic  ferocity  of  civil  wars.  It  was  a religious 
war,  and  more  even  than  that,  it  was  a war  of  races.  The 
civil  war  between  the  mother  country  and  Mexico,  in 
which  Santa  Anna  was  bred,  was  not  the  best  possible 
school  for  lessons  of  clemency.  No  quarter  was  generally 
the  law  of  that  war,  at  least  on  the  part  of  Spain,  and 
almost  the  only  law  which  Spain  respected.  It  would  be 
strange  indeed,  if  one  brought  up  in  such  a school  should 
not  have  committed  some  acts  not  strictly  conformable  to 
our  notions.  Yet,  I believe,  that  with  the  exception  of  his 
conduct  in  Texas,  and  the  order  for  decimating  the  Texan 
prisoners  of  Mier,  his  character  is  free  from  stain  in  this 
particular  ; whilst  his  military  career  has  been  illustrated  by 
many  acts  of  noble  clemency  which  would  do  honor  to  any 
commander. 

He  attempts  to  justify  himself  for  the  shooting  of  the 
men  of  Colonel  Fanning’s  command,  and  for  the  massacre  at 
the  storming  of  the  Alamo.  As  I had  never  before  heard 
any  justification  whatever  of  either  of  these  acts,  I will 
state  what  passed  between  Santa  Anna  and  myself  on  this 
subject  in  the  last  interview  which  I had  with  him.  He 
was  describing  to  me  his  first  interview  with  General  Jack- 
son,  at  Washington  city,  and  it  was  so  characteristic  of  that 


CHAP.  VII.] 


INTERVIEW  WITH  SANTA  ANNA. 


69 


gallant  old  man,  that  I will  endeavor  to  give  it  in  Santa 
Anna’s  own  words.  When  he  arrived  in  Washington,  Mr. 
Forsyth,  then  Secretary  of  State,  called  upon  him  and  re- 
quested that  he  would  go  with  him  and  see  General  Jack- 
son,  who  was  confined  to  his  chamber,  where  he  received 
Santa  Anna.  After  the  usual  salutations  and  ceremonies,  and 
some  short  conversation  on  other  subjects,  General  Jackson 
said  to  him  : “ Well,  General  Santa  Anna,  tell  me  why  you 
abandoned  the  republican  party  in  Mexico  and  went  over 
to  the  priests  ?”  Santa  Anna  said  to  me,  laughing  heartily, 
that  although  he  felt  that  it  was  rather  an  awkward  affair 
for  the  President  of  one  republic  to  be  thus  catechized  by 
the  President  of  another,  yet  that  he  answered  the  question 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  General  Jackson,  by  stating  all 
the  circumstances  of  his  position,  and  the  condition  of  the 
country.  When  he  had  finished  his  defence  on  this  point, 
General  Jackson  said  to  him:  “ Well, Sir, now  tell  me  ano- 
ther thing;  why  did  you  massacre  the  Texans  of  Fanning’s 
command,  and  at  the  Alamo?”  Santa  Anna  said  that  he 
then  justified  himself  for  those  acts,  or  his  participation  in 
them,  and  that  General  Jackson  expressed  himself  satisfied 
on  that  point  also.  I give  you  the  statement  of  Santa  Anna. 
I of  course  do  not  vouch  for  it.  When  he  told  me  this  I 
could  not  forbear  saying  to  him,  “ And  did  General  Jackson 
say  that  you  had  satisfied  him  on  that  point?”  “ Yes,  he 
did,  Sir,”  was  his  reply.  I then  told  him  that  I had  never 
heard  one  word  in  justification  of  those  acts,  and  begged 
that  he  would  repeat  to  me  the  substance  of  what  he  had 
said  to  General  Jackson.  He  said  that  he  would  do  so 
with  great  pleasure;  that  he  was  not  surprised  that  I had 
never  heard  but  one  side  of  that  matter,  or  of  anything 
else  connected  with  the  war  between  Texas  and  Mexico  ; 
that  he  knew,  when  he  travelled  through  the  United  States, 


70 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


shortly  after  those  scenes  in  Texas,  that  his  name  was  never 
mentioned  but  as  a murderer  and  assassin ; “ Yes,  Sir,” 
said  he,  “ and  it  is  most  honorable  to  your  countrymen,  that 
nowhere  did  I receive  the  slightest  indignity,  but  was  treat- 
ed everywhere  with  the  most  marked  respect — even  in  the 
steamboats,  where,  as  you  know,  there  is  not  much  cere- 
mony or  respect  for  persons.” 

As  to  the  affair  at  the  Alamo,  he  said  that  it  was  not  ex- 
pected of  any  commander  to  restrain  his  troops  when  a 
place  was  taken  by  storm,  and  still  less  so  when  the  dispro- 
portion of  the  forces  of  the  besiegers  and  besieged  was  so 
great  as  to  make  a successful  defence  altogether  hopeless — 
that  in  such  a case,  to  protract  the  defence  was  a wanton 
sacrifice  of  the  lives  of  the  assailants — and  unjustifiable ; 
that  scenes  equally  sanguinary  were  enacted  by  the  troops 
under  the  command  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington  at  the 
storming  of  San  Sebastian,  Ciudad  Riego,  and  Badajos. 
The  Texans  who  defended  the  Alamo  did  not  exceed  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  without  artillery,  against  between 
four  and  five  thousand  Mexicans,  with  artillery.  He  added 
that  he  had  seven  different  times  summoned  them  to  surren- 
der, and  offered  them  quarter,  which  he  would  have  taken 
the  risk  and  responsibility  of  granting,  but  that  they  refused 
to  accept  it,  and  fought  to  the  last  and  died  gloriously. 

As  to  the  shooting  of  Fanning’s  men,  he  said  that  the  cam- 
paign of  Texas  had  been  commenced  under  a special  act 
of  the  Mexican  Congress,  providing  that  no  prisoners  should 
be  made  ; and  added,  that  if  the  law  was  a sanguinary  one, 
that  the  odium  should  attach  to  the  legislature  which  passed 
it,  and  not  to  the  military  commander  who  obeyed  and  exe- 
cuted it.  I.  replied,  that  in  that  case,  no  capitulation  should 
have  been  entered  into,  but  that,  after  it  had  been  done,  it  was 
obligatory,  and  I saw  no  justification  whatever  for  violating 


CHAP.  VII.] 


MASSACRE  OF  THE  ALAMO. 


71 


it.  He  replied : “ That  is  true  ; and  when  the  officer  to 
whom  Colonel  Fanning  had  surrendered  informed  me  of  it, 
and  of  the  capitulation,  I wrote  to  him,  that  although  it  was 
a violation  of  the  law,  yet  as  he  had  entered  into  the  capitu- 
lation, it  must  be  scrupulously  respected.”  He  said,  that 
shortly  after  this,  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  Texan  pri- 
soners wrote  to  him  that  he  was  suffering  extremely  from 
want  of  provisions,  and  that  most  of  the  Texan  prisoners 
had  secret  arms,  which  they  refused  to  surrender,  and  that 
there  were  constant  indications  of  a revolt  among  them. 
There  were  only  about  three  hundred  Mexican  soldiers  to 
guard  near  five  hundred  Texans.*  He  also  said,  that  when 

* The  massacre  of  Colonel  Fanning’s  command  was  regarded  in  this  coun- 
try with  great  and  general  horror,  as  it  deserved  to  be,  but  it  was  not  with- 
out illustrious  examples.  The  following  account  of  the  slaughter  of  the 
Turkish  prisoners  at  Jaffa  is  taken  from  Scott’s  Life  of  Napoleon.  They 
were  executed  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  were  the  unfortunate 
Texans — fired  upon  first  with  musketry,  and  the  horrible  butchery  finished 
with  the  sword  and  bayonet.  Change  the  names,  and  Sir  Walter  Scott’s 
description  of  the  wholesale  murder  at  Jaffa  would  be  an  equally  exact 
account  of  the  massacre  at  Goliad.  It  does  not,  therefore,  lie  in  the  mouth 
of  any  admirer  and  eulogist  of  Buonaparte  to  denounce  Santa  Anna,  even 
if  he  is  to  be  held  wholly  responsible  for  the  act : — 

“ After  the  breach  had  been  stormed,  a large  part  of  the  garrison,  esti- 
mated by  Buonaparte  himself  at  twelve  hundred  men,  which  Miot  raises 
to  betwixt  two  and  three  thousand,  and  others  exaggerate  still  more,  re- 
mained on  the  defensive,  and  held  out  in  mosques  and  a sort  of  citadel  to 
which  they  had  retreated,  till,  at  length,  despairing  of  succor,  they  sur- 
rendered their  arms,  and  were,  in  appearance,  admitted  to  quarter.  Of 
this  body,  the  Egyptians  were  carefully  separated  from  the  Turks,  Mau- 
grabins,  and  Arnaouts,  and  while  the  first  were  restored  to  liberty,  and 
sent  back  to  their  country,  these  last  were  placed  under  a strong  guard. 
Provisions  were  distributed  to  them,  and  they  were  permitted  to  go  by 
detachments  in  quest  of  water.  According  to  all  appearance,  they  were 
considered  and  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.  This  was  on  the  18th  of 
March.  On  the  20th,  two  days  afterwards,  this  body  of  prisoners  were 
marched  out  of  Jaffa,  in  the  centre  of  a large  square  battalion,  commanded 


72 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


he  received  this  last  communication,  he  sent  to  the  officer 
in  command  a copy  of  the  law  of  the  Mexican  Congress 
above  referred  to,  but  ordered  him  expressly  to  commit  no 
act  of  unnecessary  cruelty ; and  if  any  executions  were 
ordered,  that  it  must  be  done  only  in  cases  of  clear  guilt 
and  from  stern  necessity,  and  strictly  according  to  military 

by  General  Bon.  Miot  assures  us  that  he  himself  mounted  his  horse, 
accompanied  the  melancholy  column,  and  witnessed  the  event.  The 
Turks  foresaw  their  fate,  but  used  neither  entreaties  nor  complaints 
to  avert  it.  They  marched  on,  silent  and  composed.  Some  of  them, 
of  higher  rank,  seemed  to  exhort  the  others  to  submit,  like  servants  of  the 
Prophet,  to  the  decree  which,  according  to  their  belief,  was  written  on 
their  forehead.  They  were  escorted  to  the  sand  hills  to  the  south-east  of 
Jaffa,  divided  into  small  bodies,  and  put  to  death  by  musketry.  The 
execution  lasted  a considerable  time,  and  the  wounded,  as  in  the  fusillades 
of  the  Revolution,  were  despatched  with  the  bayonet.  Their  bodies  were 
heaped  together,  and  formed  a pyramid,  which  is  still  visible,  consisting 
now  of  human  bones,  as  originally  of  bloody  corpses.” 

Nor  would  it  very  well  become  an  Englishman  to  use  any  harsh  terms 
of  the  actors  in  the  massacre  of  the  Texans  at  Goliad.  The  atrocities  per- 
petrated after  the  battles  at  the  river  Raisin  and  Fort  Meigs  were  infinitely 
more  horrible.  After  a formal  capitulation,  in  which  protection  was  pro- 
mised, the  American  prisoners  were  delivered  over  to  the  savage  allies  of 
the  English,  in  comparison  with  whose  cruel  tortures  any  ordinary  mode 
of  killing  was  mercy,  the  British  officers  standing  by  and  making  no  effort 
to  prevent  it.  None  but  cowards  are  cruel.  In  a few  months  after  these 
butcheries,  the  same  British  troops,  with  their  leader,  General  Proctor, 
fled  at  the  first  charge  like  frightened  wolves  from  the  American  army 
under  General  Harrison  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  The  battle-cry 
of  Colonel  Short,  when  leading  the  charge  at  Fort  Sandusky,  was,  “ Give 
the  damned  Yankees  no  quarter.”  When  they  were  repulsed  and  beaten, 
their  wounded  were  treated  with  the  kindness  of  brothers.  What  a noble 
revenge  ! The  murderous  forays  of  the  British  troops,  at  Hampton  and 
other  places  on  the  Chesapeake,  would  have  disgraced  a band  of  Scottish 
marauders  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Most  of  these  buccaneers  shortly 
afterwards  went  to  New  Orleans  ; the  bones  of  many  of  them  are  there  yet. 
I have  no  disposition  to  perpetuate  feelings  of  hostility  against  England, 
but  acts  of  murderous  atrocity  like  those  to  which  I have  alluded  deserve 
to  be  held  up  to  eternal  execration. 


CHAP.  VII.] 


THE  PRISONERS  OF  MIER. 


73 


usage.  He  said  much  more  upon  this  point,  but  the  above 
is  the  substance.  I confess  that  whilst  I thought  his  de- 
fence for  the  slaughter  of  the  Alamo  in  some  degree  an 
exculpation,  that  the  shooting  of  Fanning’s  command,  pri- 
soners of  war  under  a formal  capitulation,  was  wholly  un- 
justifiable, and  an  act  of  unmitigated  murder — a guilt  from 
which  Santa  Anna  is  not  free,  as  the  officer  committing  the 
act  was  never  punished  for  it. 

The  decimation  of  the  prisoners  of  Mier  I regard  as  an 
act  of  much  greater  atrocity  than  either  of  the  others. 
Those  prisoners  were  not  on  parole,  and  had  a perfect  right 
to  escape  if  they  could  ; nothing  was  more  common  in  the 
Peninsular  war,  than  for  British  officers  to  refuse  to  be 
released  on  their  parole,  preferring  to  take  the  chances  of 
escape,  and  not  to  deprive  themselves  of  the  right  of  serv- 
ing again  during  the  war.  When  the  news  of  the  re-cap- 
ture of  the  Mier  prisoners  was  received  in  Mexico,  General 
Bravo  was  acting  as  President  ad  interim ,#  and  issued  an 

* The  long  military  career  of  Bravo  has  been  that  of  a brave,  virtuous, 
and  humane  man.  Some  instances  are  recorded  of  him,  of  a generosity 
which  would  do  honor  to  any  commander  during  the  war  of  Independence. 
In  Ward’s  Mexico,  we  find  the  following  anecdote  of  his  magnanimity : 
“ In  the  first  of  these  actions  Bravo  defeated  Don  Juan  Labaqui,  the  com- 
mandant of  the  regiment  of  Patriots  of  Vera  Cruz,  at  the  head  of  a strong 
detachment.  The  engagement  lasted  three  days,  when  the  village  in 
which  the  Spaniards  had  taken  refuge  was  taken  by  storm  (20th  August, 
1812).  Three  hundred  prisoners,  taken  upon  this  occasion,  were  placed 
by  Morelos  at  the  disposal  of  Bravo,  who  offered  them  to  the  Viceroy 
Vinegas,  in  exchange  for  his  father  Don  Leonardo  Bravo,  who  was  then 
under  sentence  of  death  in  the  prison  of  the  capital.  The  offer  was 
rejected,  and  the  sentence  against  Don  Leonardo  ordered  to  be  carried  into 
immediate  execution.  His  son,  in  lieu  of  making  reprisals  by  the  massa- 
cre of  his  prisoners,  instantly  set  them  at  liberty,  “ wishing  ” (as  he  said) 
“ to  put  it  out  of  his  own  power  to  avenge  on  them  the  death  of  his  parent, 
lest,  in  the  first  moments  of  grief,  the  temptation  should  prove  irre- 
sistible.” 


74 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


order  that  they  should  all  be  shot.  As  soon  as  I heard  of 
this,  I called  at  the  office  of  Mr.  Bocanegra,  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  and  in  the  most  respectful  manner,  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  all  the  privileges  of  prisoners  of  war 
would  be  extended  to  the  Texans,  and  that  no  act  of  undue 
severity  would  be  committed.  He  was  very  much  excited, 
and  it  was  the  only  instance,  in  all  my  intercourse  with 
him,  that  his  conduct  was  not  dignified  and  courteous  ; for 
he  is  a very  polished  and  amiable  gentleman.  He  said  to 
me  : They  are  not  American  citizens,  and  you  have,  there- 
fore, no  right  to  interpose  in  their  behalf.  I replied  : They 
are  human  beings  and  prisoners  of  war,  and  it  is  the  right 
and  the  duty  of  all  nations  to  see  that  Mexico  does  not  vio- 
late the  principles  and  the  usages  of  civilized  war — more 
particularly  is  it  the  duty  of  the  United  States  to  maintain 
those  laws  and  usages  on  this  Continent.  He  replied  with 
much  warmth,  that  Mexico  would  listen  to  no  suggestion 
upon  the  subject,  from  any  quarter.  I rose  from  my  seat, 
and  said  : Then,  Sir,  shoot  them  as  soon  as  you  choose,  but 
let  me  tell  you,  that  if  you  do  you  will  at  once  involve  in 
this  war  a much  more  powerful  enemy  than  Texas — and 
took  my  leave.  An  express  was  immediately  sent,  coun- 
termanding the  order  to  shoot  them  all,  and  another  order 
given  that  they  should  be  decimated,  which  was  executed. 
I afterwards  received  from  some  of  the  Texan  prison- 
ers, a heart-sickening  account  of  the  execution  of  those 
upon  whom  the  lot  fell.  It  was  a cold-blooded  and  atro- 
cious murder,  of  as  gallant  men  as  any  country  can  boast 
of.  A career  of  public  service,  now  not  a short  one,  has 
afforded  me  no  happiness  at  all  equal  to  that  which  I derive 
from  reflecting  upon  the  part  which  I bore  in  this  transac- 
tion. I may  have  been  the  instrument  of  saving  the  lives 
of  a hundred  and  fifty  or  more  of  those  brave  and  patri- 
otic, but  unfortunate  men. 


CHAP.  VII.] 


THE  PRISONERS  OF  MIER. 


75 


In  a military  career  of  thirty  years,  these  are  the  only 
instances,  so  far  as  I have  ever  heard,  of  any  acts  of  cruelty 
or  even  severity,  perpetrated  by  Santa  Anna.  In  the  vari- 
ous civil  wars  in  which  he  has  borne  a conspicuous  part, 
and  always  been  successful,  he  has  not  only  spared  the 
lives  and  property  of  his  vanquished  enemies,  but  if,  as  was 
generally  the  case,  they  were  banished,  ample  provision  was 
made  for  them,  which  was  punctually  paid ; a somewhat 
rare  thing  in  Mexico.  There  was  one  single  exception  to 
this  remark : General  Mexia,  who  was  beaten  at  the  battle 
of  Acajeta,  at  the  head  of  an  insurrectionary  army,  was 
ordered  to  be  shot  in  one  hour.  When  the  order  was  com- 
municated to  him,  he  said  : “ General  Santa  Anna  is  very 
generous ; if  I had  made  him  prisoner,  I should  not  have 
given  him  fifteen  minutes.”  They  were  playing  at  a game 
upon  which  each  had  staked  his  head,  and  Mexia  lost. 

There  were  some  occurrences  which  passed  under  my  own 
eye,  and  for  the  truth  of  which  I vouch,  which  will  better 
illustrate  the  character  of  General  Santa  Anna  than  any 
general  dissertation  of  mine,  and  which  will  be  entitled  to 
more  consideration  than  my  own  individual  opinion.  When 
Santa  Anna  was  a prisoner  in  Texas  he  was  put  in  chains. 
The  proud  spirit  of  a soldier  and  a Castillian  could  not  bear 
this  indignity,  and  he  attempted  to  commit  suicide  by  tak- 
ing laudanum.  He  was  relieved  from  its  effects,  and  other- 
wise kindly  treated  by  Doctor  Phelps,  of  Texas.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  Mier,  Santa  Anna  ascer- 
tained that  there  was  one  whose  name  was  Phelps.  He 
sent  for  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  related  to  Doctor 
Phelps  of  Washington,  Texas  ; when  the  young  man  replied 
that  he  was  his  son,  Santa  Anna  ordered  that  he  should  be 
released,  sent  an  aide-camp  with  him  into  the  city,  and  pur- 
chased two  or  three  suits  of  clothes  for  him,  and  gave  him 


76 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


a room  in  his  palace.  I was  informed  of  all  this,  and  as 
there  was  an  American  ship  of  war  at  Vera  Cruz,  about  to 
sail  to  the  United  States,  I wrote  a note  to  Santa  Anna, 
offering  young  Phelps  a passage.  He  replied,  thanking  me 
for  the  offer,  but  declined  it,  saying,  that  he  felt  himself  for- 
tunate in  having  it  in  his  power  to  return,  in  some  degree, 
the  kindness  of  Doctor  Phelps  to  him,  when  he  was  a pri- 
soner in  Texas,  and  that  he  preferred  sending  his  son  home 
at  his  own  expense ; which  he  did,  giving  to  him  also  a 
draft  on  his  factor  in  Vera  Cruz,  for  whatever  sum  of  money 
he  might  ask  for. 

Amongst  the  prisoners  taken  at  Mier,  was  a very  shrewd 
and  handsome  boy,  of  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  John  Hill. 
On  their  arrival  in  Mexico,  this  boy  was  not  closely  con- 
fined as  the  other  prisoners  were,  and  he  came  to  see  me, 
and  requested  that  I would  ask  the  President  to  release 
him.  I told  him  to  go  himself,  and  I was  sure  that  Santa 
Anna  would  be  more  apt  to  do  it  on  his  own  account  than 
on  mine. 

A few  days  afterwards  the  little  fellow  returned  to  my 
house  very  handsomely  dressed,  and  told  me  that  he  had 
been  liberated,  and  gave  me  the  following  account  of  what 
had  passed  between  himself  and  the  President.  When  he 
requested  Santa  Anna  to  release  him,  the  latter  replied, 
“ Why  if  I do  you  will  come  back  and  fight  me  again.  The 
Santa  Fe  prisoners  were  released  on  their  parole  of  honor 
not  to  bear  arms  again  against  Mexico,  and  it  was  not  three 
months  before  half  of  them  had  invaded  the  country  again; 
and  they  tell  me  that  you  killed  several  of  my  Mexicans  at 
Mier.”  The  little  fellow  replied,  that  he  did  not  knowhow 
many  he  had  killed,  but  that  he  had  fired  fifteen  or  twenty 
times  during  the  battle.  “ Very  well,”  said  Santa  Anna,  “ I 
will  release  you,  and  what  is  more,  I will  adopt  you  as  my 
son,  and  educate  and  provide  for  you  as  such.” 


CHAP.  VII.] 


ANECDOTES. 


77 


The  boy  was  sent  to  the  house  of  General  Tornel,  the 
Minister  of  War,  and  was  really,  as  I know,  adopted  on  a 
full  footing' of  equality  in  his  family,  and  treated  with  the 
most  parental  kindness.  He  was  afterwards  placed  at  the 
principal  college  in  Mexico,  where  he  was  pursuing  his 
education  when  I left  the  country.  General  Santa  Anna 
not  only  paid  the  charges  of  his  education,  but  in  all  re- 
spects cared  for  him  as  for  a son.  Some  time  after  his 
own  discharge,  little  Hill  came  to  me,  to  request  that  I 
would  obtain  the  release  of  his  father;  I told  him  no,  that  he 
was  a more  successful  negotiator  than  I was,  to  go  and  try 
his  own  hand  again.  He  did  so,  and  obtained  at  once  the 
release  of  his  father,  and  afterwards  of  a brother,  who  was 
also  among  the  prisoners. 

I might  protract  this  narrative  almost  indefinitely  by  de- 
scribing similar  instances,  but  I will  mention  only  one 
more,  and  it  impressed  me  more  favorably  than  any  other, 
because  it  was  a triumph  of  the  better  and  more  generous 
feelings  and  impulses  of  our  nature,  over  the  previously 
formed  determination  of  calculating  policy.  At  the  period 
of  my  leaving  Mexico,  there  were  thirty-six  Texans  con- 
fined at  t ie  castle  of  Perote,  who  had  been  made  prisoners 
by  General  Wool  at  San  Antonio,  in  Texas,  in  the  fall  of 
1842.  1 was  very  anxious  that  they  should  be  released, 

and  with  that  view,  stopped  some  days  at  Jalapa,  as  Santa 
Anna  was  daily  expected  at  his  beautiful  country  seat,  the 
Encero,  five  miles  distant  from  that  city.  When  I visited 
him,  he  turned  the  conversation  upon  the  purpose  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States  to  annex  Texas,  and 
spoke  freely  but  respectfully  on  the  subject.  It  was  not 
positively  known  then  in  Mexico  that  such  a negotiation 
was  on  foot ; at  feast  I did  not  know  it,  perhaps  Santa 
Anna  did.  I was  not  disposed  to  enter  into  any  discussion 


78 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VII. 


with  him,  but  his  remarks  at  length  became  so  strong  that 
I could  not  be  silent,  and  I replied  to  him  with  a good  deal 
of  warmth,  and  at  the  close  of  a short  and  pretty  animated 
discussion,  I said  to  him — “ What  do  you  intend  to  do  with 
the  Texan  prisoners?  do  you  intend  to  keep  them  here 
always  ?”  “ What  else  can  I do,  Sir  ? if  I release  them  on 
their  parole,  they  will  not  respect  it,  and  I gain  nothing  by 
making  them  prisoners,  for  they  immediately  take  up  arms 
again,  as  did  the  prisoners  of  the  Santa  Fe  Expedition, 
and,”  he  added,  “ I was  informed  that  you  intended  to  ask 
the  release  of  these  prisoners  ; but  I beg  that  you  will  not 
do  it,  for  great  as  the  pleasure  would  be  to  oblige  you,  my 
duty  forbids  it.”  I told  him  that  he  knew  that  I was  not 
apt  to  abandon  my  purposes,  and  that  I would  ask  it,  and 
what  was  more,  that  I knew  he  would  release  them.  I 
added  that  the  prisoners  taken  at  San  Antonio  did  not 
know  that  it  was  the  Mexican  army  which  was  approach- 
ing, but  supposed  it  was  a band  of  robbers  which  was  in- 
festing the  place  ; the  Texans  had  all  told  me  so.  He  re- 
plied, “ I know  they  say  so,  but  it  is  not  true  ; Gen  Wall 
entered  San  Antonio,  with  cannon  and  music,  and  any  one 
knows  that  robber  bands  have  neither.”  “ Well,”  said  I,  “ if 
they  did,  they  were  defending  their  homes  and  hearths,  and 
a gallant  defence  they  made,  and  a generous  enemy  should 
respect  them  the  more.”  “ That,”  said  he,  “ is  putting  the 
matter  on  a different  footing.  Are  there  any  particular 
individuals  of  the  San  Antonio  prisoners  whom  you  wish 
released?”  “Yes,  there  are.”  “Then,”  said  he,  “send 
me  a list  of  their  names  to-morrow.”  “ No,  I will  give 
them  to  you  now,”  I replied.  “ Very  well,”  said  he,  “ who 
are  they  ?”  I answered,  “ all  of  them.  How  can  I distin- 
guish between  men,  all  strangers  to  me,  personally,  whose 
cases  are  in  all  respects  the  same,  and  why  should  you  V9 


CHAP.  VII.] 


ANECDOTES. 


79 


“Well,”  said  he,  with  manifest  emotion,  “I  have  been  ad- 
vised not  to  do  it,  and  had  made  up  my  mind  that  I would 
not,  but  you  shall  take  them  all  with  you.” 

In  giving  this  narrative,  I have  been  forced  to  speak  more 
frequently  of  myself  than  I could  wish ; I could  have 
simply  stated  that  those  men  were  liberated  at  my  request, 
but  that  would  most  inadequately  have  conveyed  the  idea 
of  the  true  character  of  the  transaction, — the  yielding  of 
all  considerations  of  policy,  to  the  promptings  of  feelings 
of  generosity  and  kindness.  I do  not  believe,  that  of  the 
hundreds  of  Americans  in  Mexico,  there  was  one  who 
would  not  promptly  have  done  all  that  I did.  No  unwor- 
thy motive  can  be  imputed  to  Santa  Anna  for  this  act ; my 
functions  as  Minister  had  ceased,  and  I was  then  only  a 
private  American  citizen,  who  had  no  power  to  serve  him 
in  any  way,  and  whose  name,  even,  he  would  in  all  proba- 
bility never  again  hear  mentioned. 

During  the  war  in  Yucatan  the  government  of  Mexico 
was  in  a great  exigency  for  thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars. 
Mr.  Hargoos,  an  American  merchant  of  Yera  Cruz, 
advanced  the  money  upon  the  personal  pledge  of  Santa 
Anna,  that  it  should  be  paid  at  a stipulated  time  at  the 
custom-house  in  Yera  Cruz.  Mr.  Hargoos  at  the  time 
appointed  presented  his  order  and  was  refused  pay- 
ment. A few  days  afterwards,  Santa  Anna  was  in  Yera 
Cruz,  and  Mr.  H.  called  to  see  him,  and  informed  him  that 
he  had  presented  the  order  which  he  had  given  him  and 
that  payment  had  been  refused,  the  officer  of  the  custom- 
house saying  that  he  did  so  by  the  orders  of  Santa  Anna — 
which  Mr.  Hargoos  said  he  did  not  believe.  Santa  Anna 
said  that  he  had  given  such  orders,  that  there  was  no  money 
in  the  treasury  to  pay  the  army,  not  enough  even  to  purchase 
their  rations,  and  that  he  must  wait  until  it  was  more  con- 


80 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VIT. 


venient  to  pay  him.  Hargoos,  very  much  excited,  said,  “You 
know,  sir,  that  I would  not  have  advanced  this  money, 
except  upon  the  pledge  of  your  word  of  honor,  which  I 
have  not  known  violated  before  ; I have  been  your  friend, 
sir,  in  more  trials  than  one,  and  have  respected  and  confided 
in  you,  henceforth  these  feelings  are  changed ; good  evening, 
sir.”  Santa  Anna  called  him  back  and  said  to  the  military 
friends  by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  “ Gentlemen,  have 
you  heard  the  language  which  this  man  has  used  to  me  ?” 
Hargoos  said,  “I  come  from  a country  where  no  station 
protects  a man  from  being  told  the  truth.  Is  not  what  I 
have  said  true  ?”  “ Yes,  sir,”  said  Santa  Anna,  “it  is — and 

I respect  you  for  your  firmness  in  saying  what  you  have  ; 
I have  flatterers  enough  about  me,  but  few  who  will  tell 
me  the  truth.”  The  money  was  paid  immediately. 

The  reader  will  judge  whether  a man  can  be  wholly  bad 
who  is  capable  of  such  acts.  I am  by  no  means  an  indis- 
criminate admirer  of  General  Santa  Anna  ; he  is  not  what 
Coleridge  calls  a “ model  man.”  He  has  many  great  faults 
and  some  vices  both  as  a public  and  private  man  ; but  many 
high  and  generous  qualities  also  : most  of  his  vices  are 
attributable  to  his  country  and  education.  He  commenced 
life  ardently  in  favor  of  a Federal  Republic,  but  very 
soon  became  convinced  that  his  country  was  not  prepared 
for  such  a government — an  opinion,  in  which  I think  most 
intelligent  foreigners  who  have  visited  Mexico  agree  with 
him.  I believe  he  is  a patriot ; his  great  vice  is  avarice, 
and  he  has  at  last  fallen  a victim  to  it.  The  total  want  of 
all  real  responsibility  of  all  public  officers,  not  only  in 
Mexico,  but  in  all  Spanish  countries,  offers  the  most  dan- 
gerous temptations  to  peculation  and  bribery.  If  I may 
believe  the  half  of  what  I have  heard,  he  is  not  free 
from  these  vices.  With  this  exception,  and  it  is  a great  and 


CHAP.  VII.]  CHARACTER  OF  SANTA  ANNA.  81 

damning  one,  I think  that  the  general  course  of  his  adminis- 
tration was  patriotic  and  wise.  I dare  to  say,  that  both  with 
reference  to  its  internal  concerns,  and  the  maintenance  of 
the  public  faith,  as  well  as  in  conducting  its  foreign  relations, 
that  Mexico  has  never  been  better  governed  than  during 
his  last  presidency,  when  he  was  literally  the  state,  and  sin- 
cerely desiring,  as  I do,  the  welfare  of  that  country,  I should 
be  glad  to  see  him  again  at  the  head  of  its  government, — — 
an  event  not  impossible. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Public  Characters  of  Mexico— M.  Bocanegra — Triqueros — Tornel — Paredes 
—Valencia — Count  Cortina — Bustamente — Gomez  Farrias — Almonte — 
Cuevas,  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico. 

Mr.  Bocanegra,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  was  a dis- 
tinguished lawyer,  and  was  also  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  He  left  the  Bench  in  1841,  to  enter  the 
Cabinet  of  General  Santa  Anna.  Everybody  in  Mexico 
speaks  of  him  as  an  eminent  and  virtuous  judge.  I presume 
that  there  are  more  questions  and  involving  a greater  varie- 
ty of  principles  of  international  law,  which  are  thrown  upon 
the  American  legation  in  Mexico,  than  on  any  other  of  our 
foreign  missions.  I had,  therefore,  much  to  do  with  Mr. 
Bocanegra ; and  besides  this,  I negotiated  with  him  two 
important  conventions,  and  I can  say  in  all  sincerity,  that 
whilst  I found  him  always  faithful  to  his  own  country,  and 
tenacious  of  her  interests,  that  he  was  uniformly  courteous 
and  fair ; and  never  sought  any  of  those  small  advantages 
which  many  erroneously  suppose  to  be  the  duty  of  a diplo- 
matist. As  a companion,  he  was  eminently  joyous  and  con- 
vivial. I entertained  for  Mr.  Bocanegra  great  respect,  and 
a very  sincere  regard.  That  Mexico  may  find  a man  who 
will  conduct  the  business  of  the  office  of  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  with  more  ability  and  success,  is,  I think,  little  to  be 
expected. 

Mr.  Triqueros,  the  Minister  of  Finance,  whilst  I was  in 
Mexico,  is  not  more,  I should  think,  than  forty  years  of  age. 
He  was  a successful  merchant  in  Vera  Cruz,  and  I thought 


CHAP.  VIII.]  PUBLIC  CHARACTERS  OF  MEXICO. 


83 


managed  the  finances  of  the  country  with  signal  ability  and 
success.  He  found  the  business  of  his  department  in  a 
state  of  utter  confusion,  with  a large  public  debt,  and  a civil 
list,  which  it  must  be  impossible  for  the  country  to  pay  for 
any  long  period.  It  seemed  a miracle  that  funds  could  be 
found  to  sustain  the  government  even  for  a year.  It  had 
been  the  habit  of  the  government  to  issue  a government 
paper,  receivable  at  the  custom-houses,  in  the  payment  of 
duties.  The  market  value  of  this  paper  has  for  a long  time 
never  been  higher  than  from  thirty  to  forty  cents  in  the 
dollar.  At  this  rate  the  government  issued  it  and  redeemed 
it  at  par.  Besides  this  enormous  loss,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  head  of  the  Department  to  make  any  calculation  upon 
the  accruing  and  available  revenues,  as  it  could  not  be  an- 
ticipated how  much  of  the  import  duties  would  be  paid 
in  this  depreciated  government  paper.  Mr.  Triqueros  at 
once  set  to  work  to  remedy  the  evil,  which  he  did  in  the 
only  way  by  which  it  was  practicable — by  funding  the 
whole  debt,  and  setting  apart  a portion  of  the  revenue  from 
duties  on  imports  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  on  the 
debt  thus  funded.  Most  of  the  foreign  creditors  were  dis- 
satisfied with  this  arrangement,  although  I foresaw  and  told 
them  that  it  would  be  advantageous  to  them,  as  they  after- 
wards found  that  it  was.  Their  earnest  remonstrances 
on  this  and  other  matters  connected  with  the  public  debt, 
induced  the  Diplomatic  Representatives  of  other  countries 
to  hold  a meeting  for  the  purpose  of  remonstrating  against 
it.  I was  invited  to  the  meeting,  but  I did  not  attend  it, 
nor  any  other  similar  meeting  of  the  Diplomatic  corps.  It 
looked  rather  too  much  like  an  alliance,  and  I found  no  dis- 
inclination on  the  part  of  Mexico  to  accede  to  all  proper 
demands  which  I made  upon  her,  and,  therefore,  did  not 
need  any  aid  in  protecting  my  countrymen,  and  maintain- 


84 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  VIII. 


ing  their  rights.  I went  farther  than  this.  I told  my  col- 
leagues of  the  Diplomatic  corps,  that  they  had  no  right  to 
interfere  in  the  matter,  that  it  was  only  in  cases  of  torts 
and  not  of  contract  that  a nation  was  bound,  or  had  the 
right  to  interfere  for  the  protection  of  citizens  or  subjects. 
That  if  the  citizen  or  subject  of  one  nation  made  a contract 
with  the  government  of  another,  his  only  reliance  for  the 
performance  of  that  contract  was  upon  the  good  faith  of  the 
government  contracted  with.  No  principle  of  the  law  of 
nations  is  better  settled  than  this,  nor  upon  more  substan- 
tial reasons. 

At  this  particular  juncture,  it  would  not  be  very  grace- 
ful, at  least,  for  our  government  to  demand  of  other  govern- 
ments the  punctual  performance  of  contracts  made  with 
our  citizens. 

General  Tornel,  the  Secretary  of  War,  is  a remarkably 
fine  looking,  and  in  every  respect,  a striking  man.  He 
would  be  regarded  as  an  accomplished  man  in  any  coun- 
try. He  is  a very  elegant,  sometimes  an  able  writer.*  If 
what  I sometimes  heard  in  Mexico  is  true,  there  is  another 
and  less  favorable  side  of  the  picture.  But  of  all  the  cities 
in  the  world,  Mexico  is  the  most  gossipping,  and  I should 
be  restrained  from  saying  anything  disparaging  of  General 
Tornel,  from  the  consideration  that  there  was  a pretty  vio- 
lent collision  between  us  a few  days  after  my  arrival  in 
Mexico,  and  that  our  relations  were  for  some  time  of  a very 
unfriendly  character,  and  never  very  cordial. 

General  Paredes,  the  author  of  the  revolution,  which 
terminated  in  the  overthrow  and  banishment  of  Santa  Anna, 

* He  well  deserves  the  title  of“  The  patron  of  Learning  in  Mexico,”  and 
has  entitled  himself  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  his  country,  for  his  con- 
tinued and  successful  efforts,  for  the  establishment  of  schools  and  colleges, 
and  the  diffusion  of  learning  among  his  countrymen. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  PUBLIC  CHARACTERS  OF  MEXICO. 


85 


is  a man  of  talents  and  acquirements  in  his  profession,  and 
all  speak  of  him  as  a gentleman  and  a patriot.  But  some 
how  or  other,  no  one  looks  to  him  for  the  Presidency.  I 
do  not  know  how  this  happens,  unless  it  is  that  he  is  opposed 
to  the  Federal  party,  and  Santa  Anna  was  at  the  head  of 
the  other  party.  And  besides  that,  Paredes,  Valencia,  and 
Tornel,  were  the  three  most  prominent  men  in  Mexico. 
But  there  was  a tripartite  jealousy  and  hatred  between 
them  which  always  secured  the  combination  of  two  of 
them  against  the  other. 

Paredes,  Valencia,  and  Canalizo,  were  the  three  Generals 
in  the  most  important  commands  under  Bustamente.  Pa- 
redes and  Valencia  went  over  to  Santa  Anna,  and  thereby 
consummated  the  overthrow  of  Bustamente’s  government. 
Canalizo  adhered  with  a noble  fidelity  to  the  fortunes  of  his 
chief,  and  after  Bustamente  was  vanquished,  Canalizo  held 
out  for  a long  time  at  the  head  of  only  three  hundred  men, 
and  by  his  remarkable  gallantry  obtained  the  sobriquet  of 
the  “ Lion  of  Mexico.”  As  soon  as  Santa  Anna  was  firmly 
seated  in  power,  he  showered  favors  of  all  sorts  upon  Ca- 
nalizo ; amongst  other  things,  appointing  him  President  ad 
interim  during  his  own  absence  from  Mexico.  He  very 
soon  quarrelled  with  Valencia  and  Paredes.  The  former 
gave  up  his  command,  and  the  latter  was  arrested  and  im- 
prisoned in  the  little  town  of  Tula,  thirty  miles  from  Mex- 
ico. Paredes  resides  in  the  city  of  Guadalajara,  where  he 
is  greatly  beloved  and  respected.  The  department  of  Gua- 
dalajara is  in  every  respect  the  finest  in  Mexico,  with  more 
intelligence,  and  of  course,  virtue,  better  farms,  a better 
population,  and  sounder  political  principles  than  any  other. 
I knew,  when  I left  Mexico,  that  Paredes  was  only  waiting 
for  the  proper  moment  to  strike,  and  that  his  friends  in 
Guadalajara  were  perfectly  organized,  held  regularly  secret 


86 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  VIII. 


meetings,  and  were  also  only  waiting  for  the  moment  of 
advantageous  opportunity.  This,  unfortunately  for  himself, 
Santa  Anna  gave  them.  Reposing  in  the  false  security 
which  his  flatterers  had  made  him  believe  that  he  enjoyed, 
and  no  longer  apprehending  any  danger  from  Paredes,  he 
appointed  him  governor  of  Sonora,  a department  upon  the 
Pacific  ocean.  On  his  way  to  his  department,  Paredes 
passed  through  Guadalajara,  and  his  arrival  there  was  the 
signal  for  the  pronunciamento  which  resulted  in  the  defeat 
and  overthrow  of  Santa  Anna. 

General  Valencia  is  an  officer  who  has  risen  from  the 
ranks  to  his  present  high  position,  a fact  conclusive  of  talents 
and  courage,  whilst  it  is  at  the  same  time  an  excuse  for  his 
want  of  education  and  manners,  which  very  strongly  mark 
the  parvenu. 

General,  Count  Cortina,  as  he  is  commonly  called  in 
Mexico,  is  a very  different  sort  of  person.  He  is  a fine 
specimen  of  the  Castilian  gentleman  ; brave,  accomplished, 
cordial,  generous,  and  punctiliously  honorable.  He  has 
filled  many  high  offices  in  Mexico,  and  during  my  residence 
there  commanded  a fine  regiment  of  grenadiers. 

He  possesses  a very  large  fortune,  and  lives  in  a style  of 
princely  magnificence.  I doubt  if  there  is  on  this  continent 
so  fine  a collection  of  paintings  and  statuary  as  is  to  be 
seen  at  his  house.  There  are  five  or  six  large  rooms,  the 
walls  of  which  are  covered  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling 
\wth  paintings  of  the  old  masters : many  of  them  by  Mu- 
rillo. 

I did  not  know  General  Bustamente  personally.  He  was 
banished  shortly  before  I went  to  Mexico,  and  did  not  re- 
turn until  after  the  overthrow  of  Santa  Anna.  It  was  a 
somewhat  singular  fact,  that  three  Mexican  Presidents  were 
in  a state  of  banishment  at  the  same  time — Gomez  Farrias, 


CHAP.  VIII.]  PUPLIC  CHARACTERS  OF  MEXICO. 


87 


Bustamente,  and  Santa  Anna.  When  Santa  Anna  arrived 
in  Cuba,  he  met  Bustamente  there,  returning  to  Mexico. 
If  he  had  gone  to  New  Orleans  he  would  have  met  Gomez 
Farrias.  Although  Bustamente  had  been  banished  but  a few 
months  before  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  I can  with  truth  say 
that  I never  once  heard  his  name  mentioned  but  with  re- 
spect. This  is  not  a little  singular,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  his  successful  rival  was  then  in  power,  and  there  was 
no  form  of  adulation  which  he  did  not  hourly  receive. 
Bustamente’ s career  has  been  by  no  means  a brief  one,  be- 
ginning, as  it  did,  in  the  war  of  independence.  Yet  that 
whole  career  is  unstained  even  with  an  imputation  of  a cruel, 
a dishonorable,  or  an  unpatriotic  act.  All  concede  him  pa- 
triotism, valor,  and  disinterestedness.  At  the  period  of  his 
overthrow,  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  his  salary  was  found  to 
be  due  him,  which  he  had  not  drawn,  leaving  it  to  be  ap- 
propriated to  the  always  pressing  exigencies  of  the  govern- 
ment ; and  he  left  the  country  so  poor  as  to  be  forced  to 
sell  everything  he  possessed,  even  down  to  his  walking 
cane,  which  was  offered  to  me  by  the  person  who  had  pur- 
chased it.  Among  the  Romans  it  was  regarded  as  the 
highest  honor  of  one  who  had  filled  high  stations,  that  he 
died  so  poor  as  to  be  buried  at  the  public  expense.  It  is 
much  more  honorable  to  one  who  has  been  President  of 
Mexico,  where  the  total  absence  of  all  responsibility  affords 
so  many  temptations  to  peculation. 

All  the  contracts  made  by  the  government  for  clothing, 
arms  and  munitions  for  the  army,  loans,  and  in  short  for 
everything,  are  made  privately  by  the  executive,  and  with 
none  of  the  restraints  and  securities  which  exist  among  us. 
And  this  fact  alone  is  sufficient  to  show  the  wide  door 
which  is  opened  to  every  species  of  fraud  and  peculation. 
I remember  that  in  one  of  my  accounts  as  minister,  one 


88 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  VIII. 


item  of  three  dollars  was  not  fully  vouched,  and  it  was  dis- 
allowed. Instead  of  being  offended,  I was  really  gratified, 
and  the  more  proud  of  my  government,  where  so  exact  a 
system  of  responsibility  existed,  and  which  was  so  rigidly 
enforced. 

All  that  I have  said  of  General  Bustamente  may  with 
equal  truth  be  said  of  Gomez  Farrias,  with  the  addition  that 
he  is  a man  of  a very  high  order  of  talents  and  extensive 
attainments. 

For  high  endowments,  and  spotless  purity  of  character, 
public  and  private,  Gomez  Farrias  would  be  a rare  man  in 
any  country.  The  only  fault  ever  imputed  to  him  is  that 
he  is  too  much  of  an  “ exaltado  that  he  carries  his  ideas  of 
liberty  to  an  extent  impracticable  in  Mexico  ; or  in  other 
words,  that  he  is  too  great  an  admirer  of  our  institutions, 
and  endeavors  to  assimilate  those  of  Mexico  too  much  to 
them. 

General  Almonte  is  known  to  many  in  this  country,  and 
wherever  he  is  known,  it  would  be  superfluous  to  say  that 
he  is  in  all  respects  an  elegant  and  accomplished  gentleman, 
virtuous,  brave,  and  honorable.  I have  heard  some  of  the 
Texans  who  were  at  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto  say  that 
the  Mexicans  who  were  saved  on  that  occasion,  owed  their 
lives  to  General  Almonte.  The  desperate  onslaught  of  the 
Texians  with  their  wild  yells,  glittering  bowie  knives, 
and  clubbed  rifles,  was  a thing  to  which  the  Mexicans  were 
so  entirely  unacustomed,  that  they  were  thrown  into  a state 
of  perfect  panic.  They  would  not  fight,  and  the  thought 
never  occurred  to  them  to  lay  down  their  arms,  or  other- 
wise make  a formal  surrender.  The  Texans,  of  course, 
continued  the  slaughter ; for  after  the  charge  of  the  Tex- 
ans, it  ceased  to  be  a battle.  In  this  state  of  things,  Al- 
monte said  to  the  officers  who  stood  around  him — “ Gen- 


M.  CUEVAS. 


89 


CHAP.  VIII.] 


tlemen,  you  see  that  our  men  will  not  fight,  they  are  panic- 
stricken  ; let  us  get  them  together  and  surrender  them,”  which 
he  did,  and  thus  put  a stop  to  the  massacre.  He  it  was  who 
saved  the  life  of  the  woman,  the  only  survivor  of  the  sanguin- 
ary scene  at  the  Alamo,  and  afterwards  furnished  her  with  a 
horse,  and  the  means  of  going  to  her  friends.  He  was 
Secretary  of  War  in  the  administration  of  Bustamente, 
and  a very  recent  experience  has  shown  how  large  a for- 
tune may  be  realized  by  the  incumbent  of  that  office.  Al- 
monte, however,  left  the  office  with  a large  portion  of  his 
salary  due  him,  and  was  so  poor  that  he  supported  himself 
until  he  was  appointed  Minister  to  the  United  States,  by 
delivering  popular  lectures. 

I trust  that  I commit  no  indelicacy  in  stating  a fact  uni- 
versally known  in  Mexico ; if  I thought  that  it  would  in 
any  manner  be  so  regarded  by  General  Almonte,  I would 
on  no  account  do  it.  He  is  the  son  of  General  Morelos, 
the  name  most  honored  and  enshrined  in  the  heart  of  every 
Mexican,  as  it  well  deserves  to  be.  Hidalgo  and  Morelos 
were  the  principal  authors  of  the  revolutionary  movement 
of  1809  ; they  were  both  Priests.  Morelos  in  command  of 
the  patriot  army  had  a brilliant  career  of  victories,  but  was 
at  last  vanquished  by  a superior  force,  and  made  prisoner 
and  shot.  His  life  was  as  pure  as  that  of  Aristides,  and  he 
died  with  all  the  dignity  of  Socrates.  Like  Socrates,  too, 
the  means  of  escape  were  offered  him,  which  he  rejected. 
I have  seen  his  portrait  in  the  house  of  General  Almonte, 
and  elsewhere ; he  is  always  represented  in  the  uniform  of 
a Mexican  General,  but  with  a priest’s  mitre,  instead  of  the 
military  chapeau  on  his  head. 

Mr.  Cuevas,  the  present  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  I 
knew  slightly ; he  had  much  reputation  in  Mexico  for 
talents,  and  is  a very  worthy  and  most  agreeable  gentle- 


90 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  VIII. 


man,  with  the  admirable  manners  of  all  Mexican  or  Span- 
ish gentlemen,  a point  in  which  they  are  unequalled.  The 
striking  characteristics  of  their  manners  are  naturalness, 
cordiality,  frankness  ; as  an  American  lady  in  Mexico  well 
expressed  it,  a u refined  frankness,”  which  never  transcends 
the  bounds  of  strict  propriety,  and  a perfect  repose  equally 
removed  from  timidity  and  too  great  boldness — what  the 
French  so  well  express  by  their  words  “ beau  tranquille,” 
a quality  of  which  I think  they  possess  very  little  them- 
selves. 

Of  General  Herrera,  I only  know  that  he  is  an  old  Gene- 
ral of  good  character  and  talents,  but  so  far  as  I am  ac- 
quainted remarkable  for  nothing. 

Senor  Echavari,  who  is,  or  very  lately  was  Minister 
of  Finance,  is,  I believe,  only  distinguished  for  great  wealth, 
and  a great  hatred  of  all  foreigners. 

In  this  sketch  of  conspicuous  men  in  Mexico,  perhaps  a 
good  Catholic  would  complain  that  I had  not  noticed  any 
of  the  dignitaries  of  the  church.  I met  on  two  or  three 
occasions  at  large  dinner  parties  at  the  President’s,  the 
Archbishop  of  Cesarea.  I never  could  ascertain  exactly 
the  office  and  functions  of  the  latter,  but  took  it  for  granted 
that  they  were  very  high  from  the  fact  that  he  was  the 
only  person  of  that  character  except  the  Archbishop  of 
Mexico,  who  was  an  invited  guest  on  these  formal  and  state 
occasions.  The  foreign  ministers  were  seated  nearest 
“ the  salt,”  and  those  high  functionaries  of  the  church  were, 
propter  dignitatem , seated  in  the  same  neighborhood ; 
we  were,  therefore,  very  much  thrown  together.  The 
Archbishop  of  Mexico  is  a stout,  healthy  looking  and  very 
agreeable  old  gentleman,  the  personification  of  a burly 
and  jolly  priest.  He  is  a man  of  learning  and  well  spoken 
of  by  every  one.  I took  a great  fancy  to  the  Archbishop 


CHAP.  VIII.] 


THE  ARCHBISHOP  OF  MEXICO. 


91 


of  Cesarea  and  I believe  that  it  was  in  some  degree 
mutual.  I might  almost  say  with  the  romantic  German 
girl  who  met  another  over  a stove,  at  an  inn  on  the  road- 
side, that  at  the  first  sight  we  swore  “ eternal  friendship  to 
each  other.”  When  I was  about  to  leave  the  room  he 
came  to  me  and  asked  where  I lived,  and  said  that  he 
intended  to  call  upon  me.  I begged  that  he  would  not  do 
so,  but  allow  me  to  make  the  first  visit  (for  that  is  the  cus- 
tom in  Mexico),  the  stranger  making  the  first  call  upon  the 
resident.  But  the  next  day,  the  good  old  man  called  at  my 
house,  and  as  I happened  not  to  be  at  home  he  would  not 
leave  his  card,  but  told  my  servant  that  he  would  call  again 
as  he  did  not  wish  me  to  regard  his  visit  as  one  of  mere 
form.  This,  of  course,  brought  about  a great  intimacy 
between  us,  and  I often  visited  him  at  his  country  house  on 
the  borders  of  the  city.  I shall  never  forget  the  pleasant 
hours  which  I have  spent  there,  nor  cease  to  remember  the 
venerable  and  good  old  man  with  gratitude  and  affection. 
He  is  a man  of  learning,  especially  on  all  matters  connected 
with  the  church  and  its  history.  He  spoke  with  great 
satisfaction  of  the  Puseyite  movement,  and  said  that  sooner 
or  later  we  must  all  come  to  it,  that  the  Catholic  was  the 
only  true  church,  and  that  the  Puseyites  were  good  enough 
Catholics  for  him.  When  I called  to  take  leave  of  him  he 
was  more  than  ever  kind  to  me  ; when  he  parted  with  me 
he  said  to  a canonigo  who  was  present,  we  must  constantly 
offer  up  prayers  for  this  man,  lie  is  too  good  a man  to  be  a 
Protestant.  I did  not  say  the  converse  to  him,  whatever  I 
may  have  thought,  but  I trust  that  I am  neither  so  bigoted 
nor  prejudiced  as  to  believe  that  there  is  any  Christian 
Church,  whatever  may  be  its  forms  of  faith  or  wrorship, 
which  does  not  number  amongst  its  members  men  as  good 
and  virtuous  as  those  whose  religious  opinions  conform 
to  my  own. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Public  Release  of  Texian  Prisoners — General  spirit  of  Kindness  to  them— 

Their  Work  in  the  Public  Streets — Anecdotes  of  Virtue  and  Disinterest- 
edness on  the  part  of  the  Prisoners. 

On  the  16th  of  June,  1842,  the  Texian  prisoners  of  the 
Santa  Fe  expedition  were  released  by  General  Santa  Anna, 
that  being  his  birth-day  or  rather  the  anniversary  of  his 
saint  (Saint  Antonio),  which  is  the  day  kept  by  all  Mexi- 
cans instead  of  their  own  birth-day.  I knew  that  they 
were  to  be  released  on  that  day  on  the  parade  ground  near 
the  city,  and  fearing  that  the  immense  populace  which 
would  be  assembled  might  offer  them  some  violence,  I went 
out  knowing  that  my  official  station  would  protect  me  and 
might  enable  me  to  protect  them.  Never  was  fear  more 
groundless,  nor  a surprise  more  agreeable.  Santa  Anna 
reviewed  on  that  occasion  a body  of  more  than  ten  thousand 
troops,  and  there  were  not  less  than  thirty  or  forty  thousand 
other  persons  assembled  in  the  field.  When  the  order  for 
their  liberation  was  given  it  was  received  with  acclamation 
and  shouts  by  the  Mexican  troops,  which  extended  through 
the  whole  vast  concourse.  The  officers  and  others  threw 
pieces  of  money  to  the  Texians,  and  as  they  passed  through, 
the  crowd,  instead  of  jeers  ^nd  insults  every  Mexican  had 
a word  of  kindness  for  them,  running  up  to  them  and  shak- 
ing hands,  and  exclaiming  “ amigo,  amigo  !”  my  friend,  my 
friend  ! I saw  one  poor  Lepero  pull  off  his  blanket  and 
offer  it  to  a Texian  who  was  rather  more  ragged  than  he 
was  himself.  As  they  passed  along  the  streets  men  and 


CHAP.  IX.]  RELEASE  OF  TEXIAN  PRISONERS. 


93 


women  would  run  out  from  their  shops  and  offer  them 
bread  and  other  articles.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  these 
men  had  invaded  their  country,  and  that  they  had  been 
sedulously  taught  to  regard  them  as  their  born  enemies, 
los  Texanos  (the  Texians)  having  all  the  associations  with 
a Mexican  that  the  words  los  Moros  (the  Moors)  had  with 
their  Gothic  ancestors.  I could  not  refrain  from  asking  myself 
whether  if  the  people  of  any  other  country  had  invaded  ours 
and  been  made  prisoners,  they  would  under  like  circum- 
stances have  passed  through  such  a crowd  not  only  with- 
out insult,  but  with  such  demonstrations  of  kindness  and 
sympathy.  There  were  a few  instances  of  atrocious  bar- 
barity practised  upon  these  prisoners  upon  the  frontiers  of 
Mexico,  when  they  were  first  captured.  But  after  they 
had  advanced  within  1500  miles  of  the  city  the  general 
treatment  which  they  received  was  kind  and  respectful ; I 
think  there  was  no  single  exception  to  this  remark  whilst 
they  were  confined  in  the  convent  of  Saint  Jago  near 
Mexico.  It  is  true  that  they  were  sometimes  carried  out 
in  chains  to  work  on  the  streets,  but  this  was  by  the  orders 
of  the  government,  and  the  Mexican  officers  in  charge  of 
the  prisoners  could  not  disobey  the  order.  But  their  com- 
pliance with  it  was  in  mere  form,  for  they  generally  said  to 
the  Texians  work  just  as  little  or  as  much  as  you  choose, 
and  precious  little  was  the  work  they  did. 

The  Mier  prisoners,  a hundred  and  sixty,  were  several 
months  at  work  on  a street  in  Tacubaya,  and  all  the  work 
which  they  did,  would  have  been  done  by  two  Irishmen  in 
a week.  When  I say  that  they  were  kindly  treated,  I 
mean  by  the  officers  in  charge  of  them,  and  would  not  be 
understood  as  justifying  or  apologising  for  the  government, 
in  ordering  them  to  work  on  the  streets  at  all,  particularly 
in  chains ; on  the  contrary,  as  soon  as  I was  informed  of 


94 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IX. 


the  fact,  I remonstrated  against  it,  and  it  was  discontinued. 
This,  by  the  way,  was  the  cause  of  the  sparring  between 
General  Tornel  and  myself,  to  which  I alluded,  as  having 
occurred  the  first  week  that  I entered  upon  the  duties  of  my 
office.  But  any  treatment  which  the  Texian  prisoners 
received  in  Mexico,  was  kind  and  humane,  in  comparison 
with  the  treatment  of  American  prisoners,  during  our  late 
war  with  England,  at  Dartmoor  and  elsewhere.  I know 
that  they  were  much  better  fed  than  the  Mexican  soldiers 
were.  An  incident  occurred,  whilst  the  prisoners  were 
confined  in  Tacubaya,  which  is  characteristic,  not  only  of 
the  Mexicans  of  both  sexes,  but  of  woman  everywhere. 
On  one  occasion,  and  it  was  one  of  the  very  few  exceptions 
to  the  remark  which  I have  just  made,  a subaltern  Mexican 
officer  struck  a Texian  who  was  at  work  on  the  streets ; a 
young  lady  of  one  of  the  most  respectable  families,  and  I 
sincerely  regret  that  I have  forgotten  her  name,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  passing  by,  called  the  officer  to  her,  and  asked 
him  if  he  was  a Mexican  by  birth.  He  replied  that  he  was 
not.  She  said,  “ I am  rejoiced  to  hear  it,  sir,  and  I did  not 
suppose  that  you  were,  for  I did  not  believe  that  any  Mexi- 
can would  be  guilty  of  so  cowardly  an  act  as  to  strike  a 
prisoner,  who  dare  not  return  the  blow.” 

Whilst  bearing  this  testimony  to  the  humanity  and  gene- 
rosity of  Mexicans,  I cannot  omit  paying  a just  tribute  to 
the  Texian  prisoners.  I do  not  believe  that  the  rank  and 
file  of  any  army  was  ever  superior  to  them  in  courage,  and 
other  high  qualities.  Their  number  was  so  great  that  my 
means  were  altogether  inadequate  to  supply  all  their  wants, 
but  I told  them  that  when  any  of  them  were  sick,  to  let  me 
know  it,  and  I would  furnish  them  with  such  things  as  their 
necessities  required.  It  more  than  once  occurred,  that 
when  I visited  them  I found  some  of  them  sick,  and  unable 


CHAP.  IX.]  GENERAL  SPIRIT  OF  KINDNESS. 


95 


to  eat  the  coarse  food  of  which  their  rations  consisted. 
When  I asked  them  why  they  had  not  applied  to  me,  their 
reply  was,  “ Why,  sir,  you  have  had  to  advance  so  much 
money  on  our  account,  that  we  were  unwilling  to  tax  you 
any  farther.”  I had  very  few  applications  for  money,  and 
in  every  instance,  where  I regarded  the  advance  as  a loan, 
I have  since  been  paid,  with  not  more  than  one  or  two 
exceptions.  There  are  one  or  two  instances  of  heroic  vir- 
ture,  that  I take  special  pleasure  in  recording.  Amongst 
the  prisoners  taken  at  San  Antonio  in  Texas,  by  General 
Wool,  in  the  fall  of  1843,  was  Mr.  Samuel  A.  Maverick,  a 
gentleman  of  very  large  fortune,  and  with  a young  and 
interesting  family.  He  was  a man  of  fiery  and  impatient 
temper,  and  chafed,  under  his  confinement,  like  a chained 
tiger.  A good  deal  had  been  said  about  a reannexation  of 
Texas  to  Mexico,  and  negotiations  were  about  being  entered 
into  to  that  end.  I knew  that  Mexico  only  desired  to  save, 
in  some  degree,  the  point  of  honor,  and  that  almost  any 
terms  would  be  conceded  ; such  as  that  Texas  should  have 
her  own  laws,  religion,  &c. ; that  no  Mexican  troops  should 
be  quartered  in  Texas  ; the  Texians  to  make  their  own  reve- 
nue laws,  appoint  their  own  revenue  and  other  officers, 
pay  only  a nominal  amount  to  Mexico ; in  one  word,  and 
in  the  language  of  a distinguished  member  of  the  Mexican 
Cabinet,  in  conversing  with  me  on  the  subject,  “ actual  inde- 
pendence, with  a mere  nominal  recognition  of  the  sove- 
reignty of  Mexico.”  That  even  such  a reunion,  in  name 
only,  could  have  lasted  long,  no  one  could  have  believed. 
I know  that  the  Mexicans  themselves  had  no  such  idea, 
Santa  Anna  had  boasted  so  much  of  reconquering  the 
country,  which  he  found  himself  unable  even  to  attempt, 
that  I have  strong  reasons  to  believe  that  he  would  have 
allowed  the  Texians  to  dictate  the  terms  of  even  this  nomi- 


96 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IX. 


nal  reannexation,  which  must  have  been  of  very  short  dura- 
tion, and  would,  in  the  meantime,  have  given  the  Texians 
the  advantage  of  the  market  of  Mexico  for  their  cotton, 
the  high  price  of  which  there  would  very  soon  have  filled 
up  Texas  with  a population  large  enough  to  have  enabled 
her  to  have  dictated  terms  to  Mexico.  This  was  early  in 
1843,  when  annexation  to  the  United  States  had  not  been 
spoken  of  seriously,  nor,  so  far  as  I knew,  thought  practi- 
cable by  any  one.  1 wrote  to  Maverick,  who  was  then 
confined  in  the  castle  of  Perote,  saying  to  him,  that  if  he 
was  in  favor  of  such  a reannexation  as  that,  and  which 
would  have  been  so  in  name  only,  and  would  say  so  to  me, 
that  I had  no  doubt  Santa  Anna  would  release  him.  I give 
an  extract  of  his  letter  in  reply. 

“ You  say  that  you  think  that  Santa  Anna  will  release  me  if  I say  that 
I am  in  favor  of  the  reannexation  of  Texas  to  Mexico.  I cannot  per- 
suade myself  that  such  an  annexation,  on  any  terms,  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  Texas,  and  I therefore  cannot  say  so,  for  I regard  a lie  as  a 
crime,  and  one  which  I cannot  commit  even  to  secure  my  release ; I 
must,  therefore,  continue  to  wear  my  chains,  galling  as  they  are.” 

A man  of  principles  less  stern  might,  with  an  easy 
casuistry,  have  said,  “ I am  dealing  with  an  enemy  who 
has  violated  the  terms  of  my  capitulation,  and  it  is  excusa- 
ble that  I should  in  turn  deceive  him.”  How  many  men 
are  there  who  would  not  have  thus  reasoned  ? Such  an  act 
recorded  by  Plutarch  would  have  added  another  page  as 
bright  as  that  which  perpetuates  the  noble  constancy  and 
heroic  virtue  of  Regulus. 

Maverick  was  shortly  afterwards  released,  as  a personal 
favor  to  me,  together  with  Mr.  William  E.  Jones,  formerly 
of  Georgia,  and  Judge  Hutchison,  formerly  of  Mississippi, 
where  he  was  distinguished  for  great  learning,  and  beloved 


CHAP.  IX.] 


ANECDOTES. 


97 


by  every  one  for  his  virtues.  I sent  them  “ on  their  way 
rejoicing,”  The  residue  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  San  An- 
tonio, thirty-six  in  number,  were  those  of  whom  I have  be- 
fore spoken  as  being  released  by  General  Santa  Anna  in  so 
handsome  a manner  at  the  time  I was  leaving  Mexico. 

Colonel  Wm.  G.  Cooke,  of  the  Santa  Fe  expedition,  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto.  Two  or  three  days 
after  the  battle  two  Texian  boys,  who  were  hunting  for 
estray  mules  and  horses,  discovered  a Mexican  in  the  grass. 
One  of  the  boys  cocked  his  gun,  and  was  taking  aim  at  him, 
when  the  other  told  him  not  to  shoot,  as  the  man  was  un- 
armed. They  found  that  he  was  a Mexican,  but  had  no  idea 
of  the  value  of  their  prize.  They  determined,  however,  to 
take  him  to  the  Texian  camp,  some  ten  miles  distant,  and 
made  him  mount  behind  one  of  them,  while  the  other  walk- 
ed. When  they  approached  the  Texian  camp  the  Mexican 
prisoners  exclaimed,  El  Presidente,  El  General  Santa 
Anna.  This  was  immediately  after  the  massacre  of  the 
Alamo  and  Goliad,  and  the  first  impulse  of  the  Texians  was 
to  put  him  to  death.  Colonel  Cooke,  however,  rallied  the 
guard  and  saved  the  life  of  Santa  Anna. 

After  Colonel  Cooke  was  released  from  imprisonment  in 
Mexico,  with  all  his  companions,  he  remained  a few  days  at 
my  house,  and  when,  in  answer  to  my  inquiries,  he  narrated 
these  facts,  I asked  him  why  he  had  not  communicated  this 
to  me  before,  and  stated  my  belief  that  Santa  Anna  would 
have  liberated  him  instantly.  His  reply  was,  that  in  saving 
the  life  of  Santa  Anna  he  had  done  no  more  than  his  duty, 
and  that  he  could  not  think  of  asking  any  reward  for  it ; 
neither  would  he  have  accepted  his  own  discharge  without 
that  of  all  of  his  men ; that  he  would  not  under  any  circum- 
stances have  been  released  and  left  them  in  captivity.  All 
of  the  prisoners  were  released  on  the  16th  of  June,  except 

6 


98  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  IX. 

Colonel  Navarro,  to  whose  niece  Colonel  Cooke  was  then 
engaged,  and  has  since  been  married.  He  could  not  speak 
of  Navarro  without  great  emotion.  I asked  him  if  I might 
inform  Santa  Anna  that  he  was  the  officer  who  had  saved 
his  life  after  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  and  that  he  took  a 
very  deep  interest  in  the  fate  of  Navarro.  This  he  could 
not  resist.  He  was  willing  to  do  for  a friend  what  he 
would  not  do  for  himself.  I mentioned  the  facts  to  an  aide- 
de-camp  of  Santa  Anna,  who  promised  me  that  he  would 
communicate  them  to  him.  But  probably  he  never  did  so. 
All  my  efforts  in  favor  of  Navarro  were  fruitless.  He, 
however,  made  his  escape  from  the  castle  of  St.  Juan  de 
Ulloa,  and  returned  to  Texas. 

Amongst  the  prisoners  of  Mier,  there  were  two  of  the 
name  of  Reese,  Charles  and  William,  the  latter  a boy  of 
about  sixteen.  On  his  arrival  in  Mexico,  I applied  to  Santa 
Anna  and  obtained  his  release.  A few  days  afterwards  he 
called  to  see  me,  and  said — “ My  brother  Charles  is  engaged 
to  be  married ; and,  besides  this,  I know  that  he  wTould  be 
much  more  useful  to  my  father  and  mother  than  I would, 
and  I should  like,  sir,  to  take  his  place  as  a prisoner,  and 
let  him  go  home.”  In  this  he  was  not  acting  a part : he 
spoke  under  deep  excitement  and  with  a glistening  eye,  and 
I do  not  know  that  his  was  the  only  moist  eye  in  the  room. 
I could  protract  these  pages  indefinitely  in  narrating  similar 
acts.  From  the  time  of  my  arrival  in  Mexico  until  I left 
the  country,  there  was  rarely  a month  that  it  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  obtain  the  discharge  of  some  of  the  pri- 
soners, and  I fully  realized  the  truth  of  the  lines  of  the 
greatest  of  poets : — 

“ The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained, 

It  droppeth  as  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven 
Upon  the  place  beneath ; it  is  twice  blest : 

It  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him  that  takes.” 


CHAP.  IX.] 


ANECDOTES. 


99 


Happy  as  those  poor  fellows  were,  I doubt  if  they  were 
happier  than  I was. 

It  is  the  fashion  of  the  world  to  complain  of  ingratitude  ; 
I am  sure  that  I shall  never  have  cause  to  make  that  com- 
plaint against  the  Texian  prisoners  in  Mexico.  Those  last 
released  to  me  came  home  with  me  in  the  Bainbridge.  The 
yellow  fever  was  prevailing  in  Vera  Cruz,  and  the  surgeon 
of  the  Bainbridge  thought  that  there  would  be  great  danger 
in  receiving  the  Texians  on  board,  and  the  commander  of 
the  vessel,  Captain  Mattison,  a most  worthy  and  excellent 
gentleman,  determined  not  to  do  so.  I had  obtained  their 
release,  and  brought  them  down  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  if  they 
had  been  left  there  they  must  have  suffered,  for  they 
had  neither  money  nor  credit,  besides  the  great  danger 
they  were  in  from  yellow  fever.  I could  not  think  of  leav- 
ing them  under  such  circumstances,  and,  impatient  as  I 
was  to  return,  I at  once  determined  to  remain  with  them. 
Capt.  Mattison,  however,  at  length  agreed  to  receive  them 
on  board  upon  my  taking  “ all  the  responsibility,”  which  I 
did  ; and  I was  not  a little  rejoiced  that  no  injury  resulted 
from  it.  There  was  not  a case  of  yellow  fever  on  board. 
The  Texian  prisoners  all  called  to  see  and  take  leave  of  me 
in  New  Orleans,  and  it  occurred,  in  more  than  half-a-dozen 
instances,  that  after  beginning  to  express  their  gratitude  to 
me  they  would  burst  into  tears,  and  could  not  finish  what 
they  had  intended  to  say.  They  could  have  made  no 
speech  half  so  eloquent  as  those  tears.  I advanced  to  the 
prisoners  of  the  Santa  Fe  Expedition  a sum  which  I thought 
was  sufficient  to  have  defrayed  their  expenses  home  ; but 
they  were  unavoidably  detained  five  or  six  weeks  longer 
than  I had  anticipated,  and  must  have  been  subjected  to 
extreme  suffering  if  Mr.  Hargoos,  an  American  merchant  in 


100 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  IX. 


Vera  Cruz,  had  not,  with  a liberality  which  has  few  exam- 
ples, advanced  them  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars. 

When  the  late  Mr.  Forsyth  was  American  Minister  in 
Spain,  he  obtained  the  discharge  of  some  Americans  who 
had  been  made  prisoners  in  Mexico,  during  the  war  of  In- 
dependence. They  were  all  sent  to  the  United  States  at 
the  expense  of  our  government,  and  the  charges  were  paid. 
I thought  this  precedent  justified  me  in  sending  home  the 
Texians,  who  were  natives  of  this  country.  I could  see  no 
substantial  difference  in  the  two  cases.  Besides  tins,  the 
English  and  Prussian  ministers  in  Mexico  sent  home  the 
Englishmen  and  Germans  who  belonged  to  the  expedition, 
at  the  charge  of  their  respective  governments,  and  I had 
been  instructed  to  use  all  my  influence  to  obtain  the  dis- 
charge of  the  Texians — not  surely  to  let  them  starve, 
which  they  must  otherwise  have  done.  The  advances 
made  by  me  were  paid  by  the  government.  Those  made 
by  Mr.  Hargoos  have  not  been  paid.  I have  never 
been  able  to  see  any  reason  for  the  discrimination.  It  is 
true,  that  I did  not  positively  pledge  myself  to  Mr.  Har- 
goos that  his  advances  would  be  paid  by  the  government. 
If  I had  done  so,  I should  have  felt  bound  to  pay  him  if  the 
government  did  not,  and  had  I the  means  of  paying  so 
large  an  amount.  But  I sent  him  the  precedent  in  the  case 
of  the  prisoners  sent  home  by  Mr.  Forsyth,  and  said  to  him, 
that  I did  not  doubt  that  our  government  would  pay  him. 
I still  do  not  doubt  that  if  the  claim  were  presented  to  Con- 
gress that  it  would  be  paid. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Catholic  Ceremonies — Procession  of  the  Host — Corpus  Christi  Day — Our 
Lady  of  Remedies — Connection  of  the  Image  with  the  early  History  of 
Mexico — Present  state  of  its  Worship. 

The  things  which  most  strike  an  American  on  his  first 
arrival  in  Mexico,  are  the  processions,  ceremonies,  and 
mummeries  of  the  Catholic  worship,  of  which  I would 
fain  hope  there  are  more  in  Mexico  than  in  any  other  coun- 
try. The  natural  proneness  of  every  ignorant  people  to 
regard  the  external  symbols  and  ceremonies  of  religion, 
and  an  incapacity  to  appreciate  its  true  spirit  and  sublime 
truths,  give  to  the  Catholic  ritual,  with  all  its  pomp  and 
circumstance,  its  pictures,  statues,  processions,  and  im- 
posing ceremonial,  peculiar  power  and  influence.  Yet 
through  these  conditions  it  may  be  that  in  a merely 
temporal  point  of  view,  it  is  the  best  for  such  a people. 
For  the  Christian  religion,  however  it  may  be  degraded, 
is  immeasurably  superior  to  all  others,  and  it  may  be 
well,  therefore,  that  ignorant  people,  who  are  inacces- 
sible by  mere  rational  means,  to  the  great  truths  which 
it  teaches,  and  the  sublime  morality  which  it  incul- 
cates, should  have  those  truths  and  that  morality  impress- 
ed upon  them  in  the  only  way  in  which  it  is  practica- 
ble, by  external  objects,  such  as  images,  and  the  like.  And 
I am  satisfied  that  much  good  is  accomplished  in  this  way. 
But  as  to  any  rational  idea  of  true  religion,  or  any  just  con- 
ception of  its  divine  author,  the  great  mass  are  little  more 
enlightened  than  were  their  ancestors  in  the  time  of  Monte- 


102 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  X. 


zuma.  And  their  religion  is  very  little  less  an  idolatry 
than  that  of  the  grotesque  images  of  stone  and  clay,  of 
which  it  has  taken  the  place.  There  is  scarcely  an  hour 
in  the  day  when  the  little  bells  are  not  heard  in  the  street, 
announcing  that  some  priest  is  on  his  way  to  administer 
the  sacrament  to  some  one  sick  or  dying.  The  priest  is 
seated  in  a coach,  drawn  by  two  mules,  followed  by  ten  or 
a dozen  friars,  with  lighted  wax  candles,  chanting  as  they 
go.  The  coach  is  preceded  by  a man  who  rings  a small 
bell  to  announce  the  approach  of  the  Host ; when  every 
one  who  happens  to  be  in  the  street  is  expected  to  uncover 
himself  and  kneel,  and  the  inmates  of  all  the  houses  on  the 
street  do  the  same  thing.  Nothing  is  more  common  than 
to  hear  them  exclaim,  whenever  they  hear  the  bell,  “ Dios 
viene,  Dios  viene,” — God  is  coming,  God  is  coming ; when, 
whatever  they  may  be  doing,  they  instantly  fall  on  their 
knees.  What  I have  described  is  the  visit  of  the  Host  to 
some  common  person.  The  procession  is  more  or  less 
numerous,  and  the  person  in  the  coach  of  more  or  less  dig- 
nity, from  an  humble  priest  to  the  archbishop  of  Mexico, 
according  to  the  dignity  and  station  of  the  person  visited. 
Sometimes  the  procession  is  accompanied  by  a large  band 
of  music.  The  visit  of  the  Host  to  the  Senora  Santa  Anna, 
of  which  I have  heretofore  spoken,  was  attended  by  a pro- 
cession of  twenty  thousand  people,  headed  by  the  arch- 
bishop. Until  very  recently,  every  one  was  required  to 
kneel,  and  a very  few  years  since  an  American  shoemaker 
was  murdered  in  his  shop  for  refusing  to  do  it.  But  now' 
they  are  satisfied  if  you  pull  off  your  hat  and  stop  until  the 
Host  passes. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  the  day  of  Corpus 
Christi  was  celebrated  with  unusual  pomp.  The  street  for 
near  a mile  from  the  palace,  thence  down  another  street 


CHAP.  X.] 


PROCESSION  OF  THE  HOST. 


103 


for  some  distance,  and  thence  back  again  to  the  palace, 
was  canopied  with  canvass,  under  which  a procession  of 
thirty  or  forty  thousand  persons  marched,  followed  by  pro- 
bably twice  the  number,  who  did  not  constitute  a part  of 
the  regular  parade.  Of  this  procession  some  eight  or  ten 
thousand  were  Mexican  troops,  with  their  gaudily  capari- 
soned horses,  and  the  officers  in  their  glittering  uniforms. 

At  the  head  of  the  procession  was  a sort  of  platform  or 
litter,  upon  which  the  host  was  carried  by  some  of  the 
highest  dignitaries  of  the  church.  At  a short  distance  fol- 
lowed on  a similar  litter,  “Nuestra  Senora  de  las  Reme- 
dios,”  Our  Lady  of  Remedies — a little  alabaster  doll,  with 
the  nose  broken,  and  the  eye  out.  It  would  be  an  unpar- 
donable omission  in  any  sketches  of  Mexico,  not  to  notice 
her  ladyship,  the  Virgin  of  Remedies,  as  it  is  one  of  the 
two  superstitions  peculiar  to  that  country,  and  of  all  others, 
perhaps,  the  one  most  important,  and  the  most  gene- 
rally believed.  The  story  is  this  : After  the  first  entrance 

of  Cortes  into  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  he  had  seized  Monte- 
zuma in  his  palace,  surrounded  by  his  guards,  and  carried 
him  through  the  streets  of  Mexico,  to  his  own  quarters,  and 
by  this  daring  act  acquired  an  absolute  power  over  him,  and 
through  him  over  his  countrymen,  it  seemed  that  the 
conquest  of  the  country  was  complete,  and  that  the  Span- 
ish power  was  firmly  established  there ; so  true  is  it,  that 
often  in  a crisis  of  real  danger  the  greatest  audacity  is 
the  highest  wisdom. 

% Diego  Velasquez,  the  Governor  of  Cuba,  who  first  pro- 
jected the  expedition  to  Mexico,  and  appointed  Cortes  to 
the  chief  command,  became  jealous  of  him  just  as  the  ex- 
pedition was  about  to  sail,  and  revoked  his  authority.  But 
Cortes  was  not  the  man  to  be  thus  trifled  with  and  thwart- 
ed, and  set  sail  in  defiance  of  the  orders  of  Velasquez,  who 


104 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  MEXICO. 


[CHAP.  X. 


hearing  of  the  wonderful  success  which  had  crowned  the 
enterprise,  fitted  out  another  large  expedition  of  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  men,  the  command  of  which  was  given  to 
Pamphilo  Narvaes,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  Mexico,  and 
supersede  Cortes  in  his  government.  Narvaes  arrived  in 
Vera  Cruz  about  the  time  that  Cortes  had,  by  the  most  won- 
derful combination  of  consummate  wisdom  and  daring 
courage,  established  the  Spanish  power  firmly  in  Mexico. 

But  a new  danger  greater  than  any  through  which  he 
had  passed,  great  as  they  certainly  were,  presented  itself, 
and  one  which  would  have  been  fatal  to  almost  any  other 
than  that  wonderful  man.  He  had  only  about  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  men  in  all ; but  he  at  once  resolved  with  two 
hundred  and  seventy  of  these  to  proceed  to  Vera  Cruz  and 
attack  Narvaes,  and  left  Pedro  Alvarado,  his  favorite  cap- 
tain, in  command  of  the  residue  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 

Cortes  marched  at  once  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  he  met  and 
vanquished  Narvaes  at  the  head  of  his  thirteen  hundred 
men.  Narvaes  himself  was  made  prisoner.  On  the  re- 
turn of  Cortes  to  Mexico,  although  his  forces  were  greatly 
augmented  by  the  defeat  of  Narvaes,  the  dangers  to  which 
he  was  exposed  had  increased  in  an  infinitely  greater  de- 
gree. During  his  absence  Alvarado  had  attacked  and  mas- 
sacred a large  number  of  the  Mexicans  whilst  they  were 
assembled  at  a festival  (it  was  said  for  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting possession  of  the  jewels  which  they  wore).  This  ex- 
cited the  Mexicans  to  fury  and  madness,  and  on  the  return 
of  Cortes  to  Mexico  he  found  the  whole  city  and  country, 
in  a state  of  revolt  He  was  attacked  incessantly  day  and 
night,  and  at  last,  unable  to  hold  out  longer,  he  determined 
to  abandon  the  city.  Mexico  was  at  that  time  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  water,  and  was  only  connected  with  the 
land  by  three  causeways.  Cortes  selected  for  his  retreat 


CHAP.  X.]  OUR  LADY  OF  REMEDIES.  105 

that  which  led  to  the  town  of  Tacuba.  The  Mexicans  had 
taken  up  the  bridges,  and  the  slaughter  of  the  Spaniards 
was  to  the  last  degree  horrible ; of  thirteen  hundred  men 
a little  more  than  four  hundred  were  all  that  escaped,  and 
every  one  of  these  more  or  less  severely  wounded.  He 
made  his  way,  however,  to  the  top  of  a high  hill  twelve 
miles  from  Mexico,  where  he  halted  and  fortified  himself, 
and  in  a day  or  two  proceeded  to  the  country  of  his  faith- 
ful friends  the  Tlascalans.  The  night  on  which  Cortes  re- 
treated from  Mexico,  is  to  this  day  familiar  to  every  Mexi- 
can as  noche  triste , the  woful  or  sorrowful  night.  This 
hasty  sketch  of  a deeply  exciting  passage  in  the  history  of 
the  Conquest,  brings  us  to  “ our  Lady  of  Remedies.” 

During  the  few  days  which  Cortes  remained  on  the 
hill  which  I have  mentioned,  he  found  in  the  knapsack  of 
one  of  his  soldiers,  a small  alabaster  doll,  about  eight 
inches  high,  with  the  nose  broken  and  one  eye  out,  which 
the  soldier  had  brought  with  him  from  Spain.  The  poor 
remnant  of  his  army  were  of  course  despondent  and  broken- 
spirited,  and  in  that  age  of  fanaticism  (and  never  was  an 
army  in  Palestine  animated  with  a higher  degree  of  reli- 
gious enthusiasm  than  were  the  conquerors  of  Mexico), 
Cortes  determined  to  avail  himself  of  the  wooden  doll 
which  had  providentially,  it  would  seem,  been  thrown  in  his 
way.  He  exhibited  it  to  his  soldiers,  and  told  them  that  it 
was  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  which  she  had  sent  him 
from  heaven,  and  that  she  had  promised  him  that  she 
would  intercede  for  them,  cure  their  wounds,  secure  them 
a safe  return  to  their  Tlascalan  allies,  and  afterwards  the 
certain  conquest  of  Mexico.  Cortes  made,  or  rather  cut 
his  way  back  to  Tlascala  with  the  small  remnant  of  his 
army,  and  afterwards  again  invaded  and  conquered  Mex- 
ico. 

6* 


106 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  X. 


One  of  the  first  things  which  he  did  after  completing  the 
conquest  was  to  build  a chapel  on  the  top  of  the  hill  to 
which  he  retreated  on  the  noche  triste , which  he  dedicated 
to  the  Virgin  Mary  of  Remedies.  In  this  chapel  he  placed 
the  miraculous  image,  where  it  has  been  kept  for  more  than 
three  hundred  years  with  wax  candles  always  burning,  and 
maids  of  honor  in  constant  attendance.  I asked  a gentle- 
man connected  with  the  church,  what  was  the  value  of  the 
diamonds  worn  by  the  image  of  our  Lady  of  Remedies  when 
I saw  it  in  the  procession.  He  said  he  did  not  know ; but 
that  her  whole  wardrobe  and  jewels  were  worth  more 
than  a million  of  dollars.  Amongst  these  are  different  petti- 
coats of  diamonds,  pearls,  and  emeralds.  On  special  occa- 
sions, our  Lady  of  Remedies  is  carried  to  the  city,  such  as 
the  prevalence  of  the  cholera,  or  other  pestilence.  When 
it  is  found  that  the  disease  is  abating  in  a particular  quar- 
ter of  the  city,  the  image  is  carried  there ; if  the  disease 
disappears,  it  is  of  course  the  work  of  “ our  Lady  of  Re- 
medies if  it  continues,  it  is  attributed  to  the  sins  of  the 
people,  which  are  said  to  be  so  great  that  the  powerful  in- 
tercession of  the  mother  of  God  cannot  avail  to  have  them 
pardoned.  The  cures  of  our  Lady  of  Remedies,  like  those 
of  humbler  physicians,  are  by  no  means  gratuitous,  but  her 
services  are  a source  of  large  revenue  to  the  church. 

The  reader  will  naturally  ask,  does  any  one  believe  such 
an  absurdity  ? I answer  yes  ! Everybody  believes  it,  and 
it  would  be  regarded  in  Mexico  little  less  than  blasphemy 
to  doubt  it.  As  a proof  of  this  I will  mention  one  or  two 
facts. 

The  anniversary  of  the  presentation  of  this  image  to 
Cortes  is  religiously  observed,  and  of  all  the  religious  festi- 
vals in  Mexico  it  is  the  most  numerously  attended.  This 
anniversary  is  in  August.  I had  some  curiosity  to  witness 


CHAP.  X.]  PRESENT  STATE  OF  WORSHIP.  107 

it,  and  rode  out  to  the  chapel,  twelve  miles  from  Mexico. 
I can  form  no  accurate  estimate  of  the  immense  concourse 
which  was  assembled.  If  I were  to  say  fifty  thousand,  I 
might  be  under  the  mark ; if  I were  to  say  a hundred 
thousand,  I might  not  be  over  it. 

Besides  those  who  had  come  as  a religious  duty,  thou- 
sands had  gone  there  for  the  amusements,  games,  and  mum- 
meries which  are  practised  on  such  occasions ; and  the 
diseased  from  all  quarters  came  there  to  be  cured.  As  I 
entered  the  church  I saw  a poor  Indian  woman  kneeling 
before  a priest,  a white  man,  with  a sick  child  in  her  arms. 
She  kissed  the  hand  of  the  priest,  and  then  handed  him  two 
or  three  coppers,  which  were  worth  more  than  every  arti- 
cle of  clothing  which  she  had  on,  and  perhaps  more  than 
everything  else  which  she  possessed  in  the  world.  When 
I caught  the  eye  of  the  priest,  I will  not  say  that  he  winked 
at  me,  but  there  was  a certain  sinister  leer,  the  meaning  of 
which  could  not  have  been  mistaken,  and  which  I interpret- 
ed as  saying  to  me,  “ You,  and  I understand  these  things.” 
I thought  of  Dives  and  Lazarus,  and  I do  not  doubt  that  in 
another  world  the  resemblance  will  continue.  I thought, 
too,  of  the  simple,  unostentatious,  and  sincere  worship  in 
my  own  country — a worship  of  spirit  and  of  truth — and  I 
could  not  help  asking  myself,  Is  it  indeed  the  same  God 
which  we  worship,  the  same  religion  which  we  profess  ? I 
wished  to  see  the  doll,  and  was  at  first  told  that  it  could  not 
be  seen,  but  when  Mr.  Black,  the  American  consul,  who 
accompanied  me,  announced  that  I was  the  minister  of  the 
United  States,  a servant  was  sent  to  show  it  to  me ; for  the 
title  el  ministro , the  minister,  or  other  high  station,  is  an 
“ open  sesame  ” to  everything  in  Mexico.  A deference  is 
paid  to  station  to  which  we  are,  and  I hope  will  long  re- 
main, unaccustomed.  I was  carried  to  a handsome  altar, 


108 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  X. 


where  the  image  stands,  but  found,  to  my  regret,  that  the 
original  was  not  there.  It  had  been  carried  to  Mexico 
when  the  Senora  Santa  Anna  was  sick,  and  had  not  been 
returned.  There  was,  however,  a small  wax  doll  in  its 
place,  as  its  deputy,  decked  off  with  diamonds  and  other 
jewels  not  of  any  great  value.  I went  shortly  afterwards 
to  the  cathedral,  in  Mexico,  to  see  the  original,  which  was, 
as  I have  described  it,  a small  mutilated  alabaster  doll ; and 
having  the  weather-beaten  appearance  which  a service  in 
two  or  three  campaigns  in  the  conquest  of  Mexico  had 
caused.  Various  are  the  stories  of  the  attempts  to  repair 
the  injured  nose  and  supply  the  lost  eye,  all  of  which  have 
ended  in  the  death  of  the  daring  sinner  who  would  attempt 
to  improve  an  image  made  in  heaven. 

It  was  this  miserable  doll  which  I saw  carried  in  that 
magnificent  procession  of  which  I have  spoken,  in  which 
were  all  the  high  dignitaries  of  the  government,  the  church, 
and  the  army;  and  following  immediately  the  Host  itself, 
which  Catholics  believe  to  be  Christ  in  the  flesh. 

I would  remark  here  a fact  which  surprised  me  very 
much.  All  know  that  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence  in 
the  eucharist  is  a cardinal  point  in  the  Catholic  creed,  the 
sanguinary  conflicts  which  this  dogma  has  given  rise  to,  and 
the  controversies  arising  out  of  two  Greek  words,  the  only 
difference  between  which  is  a single  letter — yet  I never 
asked  the  question  of  a Catholic  in  Mexico,  and  I did  so  of 
more  than  fifty  of  all  classes,  from  foreign  ministers  to 
coachmen  and  servants,  who  believed  it  any  more  than  I 
did.  Whenever  I asked  the  question,  “ Do  you  really  be- 
lieve that  the  bread  and  wine  used  in  the  sacrament  are  the 
flesh  and  blood  of  Christ  ?”  the  reply  in  almost  every  in- 
stance was  the  same  as  that  made  to  me  by  more  than  one 
member  of  the  diplomatic  corps  who  were  Catholics  and 


CHAP,  X.] 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  WORSHIP. 


109 


educated  gentlemen,  “ What,  Sir,  do  you  think  that  I am 
a fool  ? no,  I believe  no  such  thing.  I believe  it  is  a type, 
an  emblem,  but  nothing  more.”  I replied,  “ Then  you  are 
no  Catholic  ; ask  your  priest,  and  he  will  tell  you  so.”  They 
answered,  “ Very  well,  we  have  never  before  heard  of  it, 
but  if  the  priests  say  so  we  have  no  doubt  that  it  is  true, 
for  their  lives  are  dedicated  to  these  studies  and  they  know 
more  about  it  than  we  do.” 

Can  free  institutions  exist  in  a country  where  such 
a state  of  things  exist.  Are  men  either  capable  of 
breaking  the  shackles  of  despotism,  or  maintaining  free  in- 
stitutions, who  delegate  to  others  the  privilege  and  authori- 
ty of  thinking  for  them  on  matters  involving  their  eternal 
welfare  ? 

There  was  an  Irish  priest  who  lived  many  years  in 
Mexico,  and  now,  I believe,  lives  in  Texas — Padre  Mal- 
doun.  He  abandoned  the  Catholic  church,  and  gave  as  his 
reason,  that  on  one  occasion  a portion  of  the  bread  which 
was  used  in  the  sacrament  was  left,  and  that  the  rats  ate  it, 
which  they  would  not  of  course  have  done  if  it  had  really 
been  the  flesh  of  God  incarnate. 

Many  are  the  stories,  however,  which  the  Catholics  relate 
of  fowls  and  hungry  dogs  refusing  to  touch  bread  which 
had  been  thus  consecrated. 

I reserve  for  another  chapter  the  other  great  superstition 
peculiarly  Mexican,  which  is  in  no  degree  less  absurd  and 
ridiculous  than  that  of  our  Lady  of  Remedies. 


CHAPTER  XL 


Religious  Drama — “ Mystery”  of  the  Nativity — The  Virgin  of  Guadaloupe — 
Sincerity  of  Mexican  Churchmen  exhibited  in  a Scene  of  Penance — 
Morality  of  the  Clergy. 

Amongst  the  dramatic  representations  in  Mexico,  mys- 
teries or  religious  dramas  are  very  common  on  occasions 
of  certain  festivals — some  of  them  of  a character  not  a 
little  shocking  to  the  eyes  and  ears  of  a Protestant.  Not 
an  unusual  piece  on  Christmas-Eve  is  the  representation  of 
the  Nativity.  Joseph  appears  on  a mule  with  Mary  behind 
him,  seeking  for  lodgings  all  over  the  city  of  Bethlehem, 
and  at  last  they  enter  the  stable — where  the  accouche- 
ment takes  place  not  in  the  sight  but  in  the  hearing  of  the 
audience,  with  all  those  circumstances  equally  revolting  to 
decency  and  a just  respect  for  holy  things.  I have  seen  a 
similar  representation  of  the  story  of  the  virgin  of 
Guadaloupe,  and  have  now  a copy  of  the  drama;  it 
was  at  the  theatre  “ de  los  gallos,”  “ Theatre  of  the  chicken 
cocks,”  a very  large  edifice  formerly  used  as  a cock-pit  but 
now  converted  into  a theatre.  The  story  is  this : 

In  the  year  1531,  the  Spaniards  thinking  that  the  Indians 
were  not  converted  fast  enough  to  nuestra  santa  fe  (our 
holy  faith)  as  they  always  called  it,  set  on  foot  the  follow- 
ing contrivance  — An  Indian  Juan  Diego  (John  James) 
was  going  to  Mexico  early  in  the  morning,  and  as  he  was 
passing  over  the  mountain  three  miles  from  the  city,  he  saw 
a female  descending  from  the  clouds.  He  was  terribly 


CHAP.  XI.] 


THE  VIRGIN  OF  GUADALOUPE. 


Ill 


frightened  of  course,  but  the  figure,  which  turned  out  to 
be  the  Virgin  Mother,  told  him  not  to  be  alarmed,  that  she 
was  the  Virgin  Mary  ; that  she  had  determined  to  become  the 
patron  saint  of  the  Mexican  Indians,  and  to  take  them  under 
her  especial  protection  ; and  that  he  must  go  to  the  city  and 
tell  the  bishop  that  she  wished  to  have  a church  built  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  and  dedicated  to  her  as  the  patroness 
of  the  Mexicans.  The  poor  Indian  flew  to  the  city,  and 
when  admitted  into  the  presence  of  the  bishop  delivered 
the  message.  The  bishop  was  incredulous  and  drove  him 
off.  The  next  day  he  met  the  Virgin  by  appointment 
at  the  same  place,  and  told  her  that  the  bishop  would  not 
believe  him.  “ Very  well,”  said  she,  “ do  you  meet  me  here 
to-morrow  at  the  same  hour,  and  I will  give  you  a proof 
which  the  bishop  will  not  doubt.”  Punctual  to  his  appoint- 
ment Juan  Diego  went  the  next  day  and  had  another  inter- 
view with  the  Virgin.  She  told  him  to  go  up  to  the  top  of 
the  mountain  and  he  would  find  the  ground  covered  with 
roses,  to  fill  his  apron  with  them  and  carry  them  to  the 
bishop.  The  Indian  found  the  roses,  and  as  none  had  ever 
grown  there,  they  were,  of  course,  placed  there  by  a mira- 
cle ; he  filled  his  apron  and  went  again  to  the  bishop,  con- 
fident in  the  miraculous  evidence  of  the  truth  of  his  state- 
ments which  he  carried  with  him.  When  he  opened  his 
apron  to  exhibit  the  roses  he  found  to  his  utter  consternation 
that  there  had  been  painted  upon  it  by  another  miracle  a 
portrait  of  the  Virgin,  dressed  not  like  the  poor  carpenter’s 
wife,  but  in  a gorgeous  cloak  of  blue  velvet  with  stars  of 
gold  all  over  it.  The  bishop  could  not,  of  course,  resist 
such  evidence  as  that.  The  church  was  ordered  to  be 
built,  the  Indians  all  contributed  whatever  they  had,  and 
came  into  the  fold  by  thousands.  The  Mexicans  were  not 
like  other  people  whose  patron  saints  were  mere  common 


112 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XI. 


mortals  ; the  Mother  of  God  herself  was  theirs.  The  ori- 
ginal miraculous  portrait  in  a rich  frame  of  gold  inlaid  with 
diamonds  and  pearls,  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  church  which 
was  built,  and  almost  every  Mexican  has  one  of  more  or 
less  value  in  his  house,  and  of  every  variety  from  cheap 
engravings  to  the  most  costly  paintings ; below  the  picture 
are  these  characteristic  Latin  words,  “ Non  fecit  taliter 
omni  nationi.”  When  I first  went  to  Mexico,  I was  look- 
ing at  one  of  these  paintings,  and  I asked  a friend  who  was 
with  me  what  they  meant  ? Why,  said  he,  they  mean  that 
she  has  never  made  such  cursed  fools  of  any  other  people. 
There  never  was  a more  accurate  translation,  although  not 
very  literal ; the  Mexicans,  doubtless,  would  say  that  it  was 
not  a very  liberal  one. 

If  the  reader  should  again  ask,  and  does  anybody  believe 
this  ? I answer,  that  on  the  anniversary  of  this  miracle  I 
went  to  the  church  of  Guadaloupe  where  more  than  fifty 
thousand  people  were  assembled,  amongst  them  the  Presi- 
dent Bravo  and  all  his  cabinet,  the  archbishop,  and  in  short 
everybody  in  high  station  in  Mexico.  An  oration  in 
commemoration  of  the  event  was  delivered  by  a distin- 
guished member  of  the  Mexican  congress.  He  described 
all  the  circumstances  of  the  affair  as  I have  given  them, 
but  with  all  the  extravagance  of  Mexican  rhetoric,  just  as 
one  of  our  fourth  of  July  orators  would  narrate  the  events 
of  the  Revolution.  The  President  and  others  exchanged 
all  the  while  smiles  and  glances  of  pride  and  exultation. 

The  church  is  the  most  beautiful  building  of  the  kind  I ever 
saw  ; it  is  not  so  large  and  imposing,  and  there  is  a less 
gorgeous  display  of  “ barbaric  gold ’’than  the  cathedral, 
but  upon  the  whole  it  appeared  much  more  beautiful. 
Instead  of  the  balustrade  partly  of  gold  of  the  cathedral  it 
has  one  of  pure  silver,  and  of  the  same  size  as  that  in  the 


CHAP.  XI.] 


THE  VIRGIN  OF  GUADALOUPE. 


US' 


cathedral.  Most  of  the  vases,  waiters,  candlesticks,  &c., 
are  of  the  same  metal. 

But  I do  not  know  why  such  things  as  these  which  I 
have  been  describing  should  excite  “ our  special  wonder.” 
Are  there  not  stories  equally  ridiculous  which  are  believed 
in  other  Catholic  countries.  Saint  Nicholas  is  the  patron 
saint  of  boys,  because,  as  the  tradition  goes,  a friend  had 
sent  his  two  sons  to  St.  Nicholas  to  be  educated  by  him; 
on  their  journey  they  were  murdered  by  the  innkeeper 
where  they  lodged.  This  being  revealed  to  St.  Nicholas 
in  a dream,  he  repaired  to  the  place,  and  found  the  inn- 
keeper boiling  the  flesh  and  bones  of  the  boys  to  make  soap 
of  them.  St.  Nicholas,  by  a miracle,  restored  them  to  life.. 
I have  often  seen  engravings  representing  the  miracle. 

There  are  few  edifices  in  the  world  held  in  so  devout 
reverence  as  the  convent  of  St.  Catharine,  on  Mount  Sinai, 
the  history  of  the  building  of  which  on  that  desert  moun- 
tain, as  I understand  it,  is  this : — St.  Catharine  died  in 
Alexandria,  and  long  afterwards  appeared  to  a pious  monk 
in  a dream,  and  told  him  that  her  bones  had  been  removed, 
by  a miracle,  to  Mount  Sinai,  and  that  she  wished  the 
convent  to  be  built  on  the  spot.  Upon  examination,  a 
human  skeleton  was  found  imbedded  in  the  solid  rock, — of 
course  the  bones  of  St.  Catharine,  and  carried  there  by  a 
miracle.  The  convent  and  temple  were  erected,  and  it  is 
said  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures  in  the  world ; 
none,  perhaps,  is  held  in  greater  reverence.  But  I feel  that 
I am  treading  on  dangerous  ground.  The  fault  is  not  mine 
for  describing  these  things  as  I have  seen  them.  I quarrel 
with  no  man  for  his  religious  opinions ; but  I have  a right 
to  discuss  them,  and  to  describe  the  rites  and  ceremonies 
as  I have  seen  them.  No  one  can  doubt  the  sincerity  of  the 
professors  of  a religion,  so  many  heroic  martyrs  of  which 
have  perished  at  the  stake,  and  which  for  so  long  a time 


114 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XI. 


was  the  only  Christian  church  ; and,  even  now,  can  boast 
of  a larger  number  than  all  other  Christian  sects  united.  I 
believe  that  they  are  at  least  as  sincere  in  the  great  cardinal 
principles  of  their  faith  as  the  Protestants  are ; that  is,  the 
great  body  of  the  church,  I cannot  say  as  much  for  the 
priests ; and,  I must  say,  that  in  that  greatest  of  virtues, 
charity,  in  all  its  forms,  they  are  greatly  superior  to  us. 
There  is  scarcely  a desert  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  which 
Catholic  charity  has  not  penetrated.  It  was  the  remark 
of  Cook,  the  great  traveller,  that  he  never,  in  any  country, 
applied  to  a woman  for  relief  that  he  did  not  receive  it,  if 
it  was  in  her  power  to  bestow  it.  I doubt  not  that  he 
might  have  said  the  same  thing  of  the  Catholic  priests. 
Their  houses  are  always  the  abodes  of  hospitality  and 
benevolence. 

I have  seen,  in  the  church  of  San  Augustin,  one  or  two 
hundred  people  assembled  at  night ; the  chapel  was  dark- 
ened, and  they  took  off  their  clothes  and  lacerated  them- 
selves severely  with  pieces  of  hard,  twisted  cord,  made  like 
a cat-o’-nine-tails.  It  was  not  such  a flogging  as  Sancho 
gave  himself  to  disenchant  Dulcinea,  but  a real  bond  fide 
castigation.  Of  this  I have  no  doubt,  for  I picked  up  one 
of  the  disciplinas,  the  instrument  used,  and  it  was  wet  and 
soaked  with  blood.  I stood  at  the  door  as  the  penitents 
came  out,  and  recognized  amongst  them  some  of  the  most 
respectable  people  in  Mexico.  No  one  in  his  senses  can 
doubt  the  sincerity  of  those  who  will  voluntarily  inflict  such 
torture  upon  themselves. 

There  was  an  amusing  incident  connected  with  this 
scene  of  self-castigation.  Some  mischievous  boys  (for  boys 
are  pretty  much  the  same  in  Mexico  as  everywhere  else) 
had  contrived  to  get  into  the  church,  and  for  fear  that  the 
whipping  would  not  be  well  done,  they  commenced  opera- 
tions themselves.  They  were  discovered,  perhaps,  from 


CHAP.  XI.] 


MORALITY  OF  THE  CLERGY. 


115 


the  greater  severity  of  their  blows  than  those  which  the 
men  were  inflicting  on  themselves,  and  there  was  a great 
commotion  for  a short  time.  The  whipping  lasted  for  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes,  and  the  sound  was  very  much  like  the 
pattering  of  hail. 

I do  not  think  that  the  clergy  of  Mexico,  with  very 
few  exceptions,  are  men  of  as  much  learning  as  the 
Catholic  clergy  generally  are  in  other  countries.  The 
lower  orders  of  the  priests  and  friars  are  generally  entirely 
uneducated,  and,  I regret  to  add,  as  generally  licentious. 
There  is  no  night  in  the  year  that  the  most  revolting  spec- 
tacles of  vice  and  immorality,  on  the  part  of  the  priests  and 
friars,  are  not  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Mexico.  I have 
never  seen  any  class  of  men  who  so  generally  have  such  a 
“ roue  ” appearance  as  the  priests  and  friars  whom  one 
constantly  meets  in  the  streets.  Of  the  higher  orders  and 
more  respectable  members  of  the  priesthood,  I cannot  speak 
with  the  same  confidence  ; if  they  are  vicious,  they  are  not 
publicly  and  indecently  so.  Very  many  of  them  have 
several  nephews  and  nieces  in  their  houses,  or,  at  least, 
those  who  call  them  uncle.  The  reason  given  for  the  in- 
junction of  celibacy,  that  those  who  are  dedicated  to  the 
priesthood  should  not  be  encumbered  with  the  care  of  a 
family,  is,  I think,  in  Mexico,  much  more  theoretical  than 
practical. 

I cannot  close  these  remarks  without  saying  that  there 
are  men  who  belong  to  the  Priesthood  of  Mexico,  whose 
pure,  virtuous,  and  self-sacrificing  lives  would  make  them 
ornaments  of  any  Christian  sect  in  any  age  or  country, — 
the  Bishop  of  California  for  instance,  who,  after  spending 
the  prime  of  his  life  in  doing  the  work  of  his  Divine  Master, 
returned  to  Mexico  utterly  destitute,  and  lived  on  charity. 
He  had  all  his  life  been  in  the  receipt  of  a large  income,  all 
of  which  he  had  expended  in  charities. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


The  Museum — Old  Indian  Weapons  at  the  period  of  the  Conquest — Hiero- 
glyphics— Armor  of  Cortes — Journal  of  Bernal  Diaz — Pedro  de  Alva- 
rado— The  Stone  of  Sacrifice. 

Of  the  sights  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  museum  may  be 
considered  the  first  and  most  important.  To  an  antiquary, 
it  presents  many  curious  things.  Catlin  would  luxuriate  in 
it.  But  it  contains  little  else  than  Indian  antiquities — 
the  instruments  of  war  used  by  the  Mexicans  at  the  period 
of  the  conquest,  bows  and  arrows,  lances,  swords,  cotton 
armor  and  their  wooden  drums,  the  sound  of  which  is 
described  by  Bernal  Diaz,  “ was  like  a sound  from  hell.” 
Many  of  these  weapons  are  precisely  the  same  as  those 
used  in  former  times  by  our  own  Indians.  The  most  curi- 
ous of  these  is  the  sword  described  by  Bernal  Diaz,  as 
“espada  como  navajas — a sword  like  razors .”  It  was  a 
wooden  staff,  four  or  five  feet  long,  with  four  blades,  about 
ten  inches  in  length,  and  shaped  like  a razor,  inserted  on 
each  side  at  right  angles,  with  the  staff.  These  blades  are 
made  of  obsidian  volcanic  glass,  in  which  the  country 
abounds,  and  which  is  not  distinguishable  from  the  glass  of 
a black  bottle,  and  is  quite  as  brittle.  Yet  Bernal  Diaz 
says,  that  he  has  seen  a horse’s  head  cut  entirely  off  with 
one  of  these  swords.  There  is  also  in  the  museum,  a mask 
made  of  this  very  fragile  material,  and  having  all  the 
polish  of  the  finest  glass. 

There  are  some  curious  specimens  of  the  paper  used  by 


CHAP.  XII.] 


OLD  INDIAN  WEAPONS. 


117 


the  ancient  Mexicans,  made  of  one  of  a species  of  the 
cactus  (of  which  there  are  in  Mexico  nearly  two  hundred 
varieties),  with  their  still  more  curious  hieroglyphic  writing 
upon  it.  It  is  very  much  to  be  regretted  that  no  Rosetta 
stone  has  yet  been  discovered,  which  furnishes  a clew  to 
Mexican  Hieroglyphics.  If  this  ever  is  done,  most  impor- 
tant information  may  be  obtained,  not  only  as  to  Mexican 
history,  but  of  the  creation,  and  the  history  of  the  human 
race.  The  discoverers  not  only  of  Mexico,  but  of  His- 
paniola, Peru,  and  every  other  country  on  this  continent, 
found  the  natives  familiar  with  all  the  leading  events  in  the 
history  of  man,  up  to  the  Deluge.  Everything  afterwards 
was  a perfect  blank.  With  some  of  them  the  story  of  Adam 
and  Eve  in  the  garden  was  almost  identical  with  the 
scriptural  account  of  it.  There  is  in  the  museum  in  Mexico, 
an  ancient  Mexican  painting  of  the  Deluge,  the  conception 
of  which  is  very  striking.  Amongst  other  things,  we  see 
the  Bird  with  a branch  in  its  claw.  A miniature  copy  of 
it  may  be  seen  in  the  Spanish  edition  of  the  Abb6  Clavi- 
gero’s  history  of  Mexico. 

The  armor  of  Cortes  is  there  also,  and  I confess  that  I 
never  contemplated  anything  of  the  kind  with  so  great  an 
interest.  Whilst  looking  at  it  I could  well  understand  the 
Catholic  veneration  for  relics.  This  was  the  armor  in 
which  he  had  fought  all  the  bloody  battles  in  that  most 
romantic  achievement  in  all  history — the  conquest  ofMexico. 
For  I declare  that  in  reading  the  history  of  the  conquest  of 
Mexico  by  Bernal,  the  most  enchanting  book  I ever  read  in 
any  language,  and  in  which  the  beauties  of  Ossian  and 
Froissart  are  combined,  I rose  from  the  perusal  more  with 
the  feeling  that  I had  been  reading  an  epic  poem  than  a 
history.  I felt  as  if  I knew  personally  all  the  heroes  of  the 
Spanish  army.  Christoval,  de  Olid,  Alvarado,  Sandoval, 


118 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO 


[chap.  XII. 


and  all,  and  when  one  of  them  was  killed,  I could  almost 
have  wept  for  him  as  for  a brother.  And  here  before  me 
was  the  armor  which  had  covered  the  limbs  of  that  almost 
unequalled  creature,  that  “miracle  of  men,”  Hernando 
Cortes,  statesman,  orator,  hero,  and  consummate  in  all. 

Bernal  Diaz  was  one  of  the  officers  of  Cortes,  and  kept 
a regular  journal,  which  he  afterwards  wrote  out  more 
fully.  He  came  from  the  Department  of  Old  Castile, 
where  every  one  spoke  and  wrote  with  great  purity ; and 
his  history  is  the  most  reliable  authority  upon  the  Conquest 
of  Mexico.  The  letters  of  Cortes  are  the  reports  of  the 
commander  of  an  army,  and  therefore,  in  some  degree, 
wanting  in  details.  Gomara  obtained  his  facts  from  con- 
versations with  Cortes  and  others  of  the  conquerors,  and 
the  book  of  Solis  is  more  a romance  than  a history.  Ber- 
nal Diaz  describes  what  he  himself  saw,  scenes  in  all 
of  which  he  was  an  actor,  and  in  the  simple  style  of  an  old 
soldier  recounting  his  battles  by  the  fire-side,  with  occa- 
sional passages  of  great  beauty  and  eloquence.  It  really 
seems  to  me  that  any  other  history  of  the  Conquest  is 
like  a rhetorical  version  of  Froissart.* 

* I regret  to  see  that  Mr.  Prescott  has  fallen  into  some  errors  as  to  the 
“ Old  Chronicler,”  and,  I think,  underrates  his  work.  He  expresses  sur- 
prise that  Bernal  Diaz  should  have  remembered  so  minutely  the  incidents 
which  he  relates,  after  the  lapse  of  fifty  years,  when  his  chronicle  was 
written.  Our  distinguished  countryman  seems  not  to  have  noticed  the 
fact,  that  Bernal  Diaz  kept  a journal  during  the  whole  of  the  wars  of  the 
Conquest,  in  which  he  regularly  noted  the  events  as  they  occurred,  and 
afterwards  wrote  it  out,  as  he  says,  “ en  limpio.” 

I think  that  Mr.  Prescott  is  also  mistaken  in  supposing  that  he  was 
entirely  uneducated.  The  many  classical  and  historical  allusions  with 
which  the  work  abounds,  prove  his  learning.  The  licentiates  to  whom 
he  submitted  his  history,  admitted  that  it  was  written  in  pure  Castilian. 
The  style  is  not  rhetorical,  it  is  true,  and  in  my  humble  judgment  it  is 
none  the  worse  for  that.  I am  a lover  of  nature  in  all  things,  and  I think 


CHAP.  XII. "I 


PEDRO  ALVARADO. 


119 


The  armor  of  Pedro  Alvarado,  the  greatest  of  Cortes’ 
captains,  was  also  in  the  museum.  It  was  offered  for  sale 
together  with  his  commission  to  Mr.  Mayer,  the  secretary 
of  the  American  legation,  for  a hundred  dollars ; but  he 
very  properly  declined  purchasing  them  until  they  had  first 
been  offered  to  the  superintendent  of  the  museum,  by  whom 
they  were  secured.  I found  them  both  too  small  for  me, 
Cortes  was  of  very  much  the  same  stature  as  Napoleon, 
and  like  him  was  very  thin  when  a young  man,  but  later  in 
life  became  corpulent.  The  armor  of  Alvarado  was  even 
smaller  than  that  of  Cortes.  I believe  that  very  few  of  the 
suits  of  armor,  some  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of 
Europe,  are  large  enough  for  the  men  of  the  present  day. 
In  looking  at  one  of  these  coats  of  mail  the  incredulity  with 
which  one  reads  the  accounts  of  the  battles  of  the  conquest, 
when  a hundred  Spaniards  resisted  such  swarms  of  Mexi- 

that  the  secret  of  true  beauty,  in  everything,  is  simplicity  and  naturalness. 
In  composition,  eloquence  and  architecture,  there  is  the  greater  perfection, 
in  proportion  to  the  nearer  approach  to  the  works  of  the  great  architect.  So 
thought  the  Greeks,  who  have  left  us  the  finest  models.  One  looks  in  vain 
for  pretty  places  in  a Grecian  column,  or  in  the  Oration  de  Corona  ; but  as 
a whole  each  is  perfect.  Who  does  not  prefer  the  simple  beauty  of  the 
scriptures,  the  natural  eloquence  of  the  book  of  Job,  or  the  noble  subli- 
mity of  the  Psalms  of  David,  to  the  stately  strut  of  Gibbon  ? My  own 
opinion  of  the  narrative  of  Bernal  Diaz  is,  that  it  is  written  in  a style  of 
great  beauty,  although  simple  and  unambitious ; one  which  secures  the 
untiring  interest  of  the  reader,  the  deepest  sympathy  with  the  actors  in  the 
scenes  which  he  describes,  and  leaves  the  most  lasting  impression  upon  the 
mind  of  the  reader.  He  makes  you  acquainted  with  all  the  peculiarities 
of  the  person  and  character  of  each  of  his  heroes.  You  sleep  with  them, 
watch  with  them,  jest  with  them,  and  fight  with  them.  You  even  know 
their  horses,  and  a dramatic  effect  is  thus  given  to  the  narrative.  You 
charge  with  that  being  of  romance  Sandoval,  upon  his  horse  Motilla,  and 
assist  Cortes  to  mount  Romo  and  escape  from  the  Mexican  squadrons  that 
surround  him ; and  when  the  horse  falls  down  the  mountain  and  crushes 
Alvarado,  you  almost  feel  that  your  own  bones  are  broken. 


120 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XII. 


cans,  is  very  much  diminished.  It  is  a perfect  covering  of 
polished  steel  for  the  whole  body,  leaving  the  wearer  only 
vulnerable  at  the  joints  ; and  with  such  arms  as  the  Mexi- 
cans used  it  must  have  been  an  accident,  and  a very  rare 
one,  that  it  was  penetrated.  The  horse  was  almost  as 
effectually  protected  ; besides  the  covering  of  other  parts, 
all  his  body  from  the  saddle  back  was  protected  with  an 
“ anquera”  which  was  made  of  the  thickest  bull’s  hide,  and 
which  was  attached  to  the  saddle  and  covered  all  the  rump 
of  the  horse  down  to  his  hocks.  The  lower  part  of  this 
anquera  had  small  pieces  of  iron  attached  to  it  like  fringe, 
which  jingled  like  bells.  This  last  was  an  invention  of 
Cortes  to  strike  his  Indian  enemies  with  the  greater  terror. 

Nothing  more  illustrates  the  tenacity  with  which  the 
Spaniards  adhere  to  all  their  old  customs  and  habits,  and 
which  has  made  them  so  striking  an  exception  to  the 
advancement  which  is  observed  in  every  other  country,  in 
this  age  of  progress,  than  the  fact  that  these  anqueras  are 
still  in  general  use  in  Mexico  ; no  horse  is  fully  caparisoned 
without  one.  And  this  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the 
military,  but  private  gentlemen  also  use  them,  many  of  them 
costing  a sum  which  would  seem  incredible — bedizened 
all  over  with  that  profusion  of  silver  and  sometimes  of  gold, 
and  other  excessive  and  gaudy  ornaments  which  charac- 
terize everything  Mexican.  Nothing  can  be  more  grotesque 
than  the  appearance  of  the  horse  ; his  approach  is  announced 
for  some  time  in  advance  by  the  jingling  of  the  iron  appen- 
dages of  the  auquera. 

It  was  Alvarado,  whose  extraordinary  personal  beauty 
induced  them  to  give  him  the  name  of  Tonatiuh  (the  sun). 
He  survived  the  completion  of  the  conquest,  and  was 
appointed  Adelantado  of  Guatemala,  and  had  projected  a 
large  expedition  of  discovery  in  the  Pacific  ocean,  for 


CHAP.  XII.] 


PEDRO  ALVARADO. 


121 


which  the  ships  were  all  finished  and  ready  to  sail,  when 
he  went  to  suppress  an  insurrectionary  movement  amongst 
some  of  the  Indian  tribes.  As  he  was  ascending  a moun- 
tain, on  the  sides  of  which  the  Spaniards  and  Indians  were 
engaged  in  battle,  one  of  the  horses  was  wounded,  and 
tumbling  down  the  mountain  fell  upon  and  crushed  Alva- 
rado. Nothing  can  be  more  touching  than  the  account 
by  Bernal  Diaz,  of  his  death  and  the  grief  of  his  wife. 
There  is  a street  in  Mexico  which  still  bears  his  name, 
and  commemorates  the  extraordinary  leap  which  he  made 
across  one  of  the  canals  from  which  the  bridge  had  been 
removed  on  the  Noche  Triste.  It  is  called  “ El  salto  de 
Alvarado,”  Alvarado’s  leap.  Bernal  Diaz,  however,  says 
that  Alvarado  never  made  the  leap,  active  as  he  was.  He 
says,  “ As  there  are  still  certain  persons  who  have  never 
seen  the  place,  and  know  nothing  about  it,  who  will  insist 
that  Alvarado  did  certainly  make  this  leap  the  night  when 
we  went  flying  from  Mexico  ; I again  assert  that  he  could 
not  possibly  have  done  it.  And  in  proof  of  this,  there 
is  the  bridge  and  the  water  at  this  day,  with  the  same 
height  of  the  bridge,  and  the  same  depth  of  water  as  for- 
merly— and  the  bridge  is  so  high  and  the  water  so  deep  that 
it  is  not  possible  to  have  reached  the  bottom  with  a lance. 
There  was  a soldier  in  Mexico  whose  name  was  Ocampo, 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  writing  pasquinades  and  infamous 
libels  against  many  of  our  captains,  in  which  he  would 
put  many  ugly  things  which  ought  not  to  be  repeated 
for  they  were  not  true,  and  amongst  other  things  against 
Alvarado,  he  said  that  having  left  his  friend  Juan  Velas- 
quez de  Leon  and  two  hundred  of  the  soldiers,  besides  the 
cavalry  which  belonged  to  the  rear-guard,  to  perish,  he 
escaped  himself  by  this  great  leap,  as  the  proverb  has  it, 
4 He  jumped  and  saved  his  life.’  Whether  he  made  the 


122 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XII. 


leap  or  not  he  was  a glorious  hero,  such  an  one  as  the 
world  has  not  often  seen  since  the  discovery  of  gunpowder, 
which  has  had  pretty  much  the  same  effect  upon  individual 
heroism  as  that  of  the  discovery  of  the  art  of  printing  on 
eloquence.” 

A colossal  bronze  statue  of  Charles  the  Fourth  of  Spain 
stands  in  the  court-yard  of  the  same  building  where  the 
museum  is  kept.  It  was  designed  by  a Mexican  artist, 
Tolsa,  and  cast  by  another  Mexican ; the  latter,  I think,  an 
Indian.  It  is  said  by  competent  judges  not  to  be  surpassed 
by  more  than  two  similar  works  in  the  world. 

They  have  there  also  the  great  sacrificial  stone  upon 
which  human  victims  were  sacrificed.  It  is  a large  mass  of 
stone  some  four  feet  high,  and  eight  feet  in  diameter,  of  cir- 
cular form,  with  figures  in  relief,  elaborately  cut  on  the  top 
and  sides.  I think  that  it  is  the  best  specimen  of  sculpture 
which  I have  seen  amongst  the  antiquities  of  Mexico.  It 
is  a curious  problem  how  they  were  able  to  cut  stone  with- 
out other  instruments  than  those  made  of  copper,  jade  and 
obsidian. 

It  was  the  custom  that  the  captive  or  other  victim  to  be 
sacrificed  fought  seven  of  their  best  gladiators ; if  he  was 
victorious  his  life  was  spared,  but  if  vanquished  he  was 
placed  on  this  stone  and  his  heart  taken  out,  and  whilst  yet 
palpitating  it  was  offered  to  their  God.  That  this  was 
really  the  sacrificial  stone  there  can  be  no  doubt,  as  the 
Spaniards  were  themselves  made  to  witness  the  sacrifice  at 
one  time  of  sixty-two  of  their  companions  who  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Mexicans  at  the  battle  of  the  “Narrow 
Causeway,”  in  Mexico,  where  Cortes  was  in  such  immi- 
nent peril.  Bernal  Diaz  thus  describes  the  scene  : 

“ And  again  the  great  drum  of  Huichilobos  (the  idol)  sounded  with 
many  smaller  drums,  and  shells,  whistles  and  a kind  of  small  trumpets, 


CHAP.  XII.] 


THE  STONE  OF  SACRIFICE. 


123 


the  combined  sounds  of  which  were  most  sad  and  frightful ; and  when  we 
looked  above  to  the  lofty  idol  temple  whence  the  sounds  came,  we  saw 
them  pushing  and  buffeting  our  companions  whom  they  had  made  prison- 
ers when  they  defeated  Cortes,  as  they  were  carrying  them  to  be  sacri- 
ficed; and  when  they  had  arrived  at  the  top  of  this  temple  where  their 
accursed  idols  were  kept,  they  put  plumes  on  the  heads  of  some  of  the 
prisoners,  and  made  them  dance  before  Huicholobos  (their  idol),  and 
immediately  after  they  had  finished  dancing,  they  laid  them  on  their  backs 
on  stones,  which  had  been  made  for  such  sacrifices,  and  with  knives 
made  of  flint  they  cut  open  their  breasts  and  took  out  their  hearts,  and 
while  they  were  yet  palpitating  offered  them  to  their  idols.  The  bodies 
they  threw  down  the  steps  to  the  Indian  butchers,  who  were  waiting 
below  to  receive  them,  who  cut  off  the  arms  and  legs,  and  skinned  the 
faces,  which,  with  the  beards  on,  they  dressed  as  skins  are  dressed  to 
make  gloves.  These  they  exhibited  at  their  feasts,  and  in  this  manner 
they  were  all  sacrificed.  They  ate  the  arms  and  legs,  the  hearts  and 
blood  were  offered  to  their  idols,  and  the  other  parts  of  their  bodies  were 
thrown  to  the  lions,  tigers,  and  serpents  which  were  kept  in  the  menage- 
ries, which  I have  described  in  a former  chapter.  All  these  cruelties 
were  seen  from  our  tent  by  Pedro  Alvarado,  and  Sandoval,  and  all  our 
other  captains.  The  curious  readers  of  this  narrative  will  imagine  what 
our  grief  must  have  been,  and  we  said  amongst  ourselves,  oh,  thanks  to 
God  that  they  have  not  also  sacrificed,  me,  and  let  it  also  be  considered 
that  although  we  were  not  far  off,  we  could  not  prevent  it,  but  could 
only  pray  to  God  that  he  would  save  us  from  so  cruel  a death.  At  that  in- 
stant large  squadrons  of  Mexican  warriors  came  charging  upon  us,  and 
all  our  efforts  to  repulse  them  seemed  unavailing.  They  said  to  us, 1 You 
all  have  to  die  in  the  same  manner,  for  our  gods  have  often  times  so  pro- 
mised us.’  The  threats  which  they  uttered  to  our  Tlascalan  friends 
were  so  horrid  as  to  terrify  them  greatly ; they  would  throw  to  them  the 
legs  of  Indians,  and  the  arms  of  our  soldiers  which  they  had  roasted, 
saying,  eat  the  flesh  of  these  Teudes,*  and  of  your  brothers,  for  we  are 
satiated,  and  of  those  which  are  left  you  may  fill  yourselves.” 

The  author,  Bernal  Diaz,  in  a subsequent  part  of  his  his- 
tory, says,  that  although  men  are  generally  frightened  by  the 


* A word  meaning  gods,  which  the  Mexicans  applied  to  the  Spaniards. 


124 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XII. 


first  battle  in  which  they  are  engaged,  and  rarely  after- 
wards, yet  he  frankly  confesses,  that  although  before  he 
witnessed  this  sacrifice,  he  had  been  in  many  and  perilous 
battles,  and  had  never  been  conscious  of  trembling,  yet  that 
he  was  a coward  ever  afterwards,  and  never  went  into 
battle  without  a certain  sinking  and  sickness  of  the  heart. 
I could  fill  many  pages  with  descriptions  of  other  things 
which  are  to  be  seen  in  the  museum  in  Mexico.  But  as  I 
have  very  little  taste  for  such  affairs,  I must  refer  the  reader 
to  the  interesting  volume  of  M.  Brantz  Mayer,  whose  de- 
scriptions are  very  full  and  accurate. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


The  New  Theatre — Market — Alameda — The  Paseo — Aqueducts — Water 
Carriers — Drones — Great  National  Pawn  Shop — A Necklace  of  Pearls — 
Four  Diamond  Rings — Anecdotes  of  a Revolutionary  country. 

The  new  Theatre  in  the  street  Bergard,  which  was 
finished  in  1843,  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  world,  except 
that  of  Saint  Carlos  at  Naples.  I can  conceive  of  nothing 
of  the  kind  more  elegant  in  its  architecture,  or  perfect  in 
its  arrangements.  I have  seen  in  it  a concourse  estimated 
at  seven  or  eight  thousand,  and  it  was  not  full.  There  are 
eight  tiers  of  seats,  with  a pit  sufficient  to  accommodate  a 
larger  audience  than  the  whole  of  any  ordinary  theatre. 
In  the  rear  of  each  box  there  is  a room  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  those  who  occupy  the  box.  These  boxes,  in  certain 
tiers,  rent  for  two  and  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum, 
some  of  them  I believe  for  even  more.  The  whole  thea- 
tre is  lighted  by  splendid  chandeliers.  It  was  called  the 
theatre  of  Santa  Anna ; the  name  was  of  course  changed 
after  his  fall  by  a people  who  were  capable  of  disinterring 
the  leg  which  he  lost  in  a most  heroic  defence  of 
Vera  Cruz  at  the  time  when  it  was  attacked  by  the 
French,  and  which  had  been  brought  to  Mexico  a few- 
short  months  before,  been  buried  with  great  pomp,  and 
a funeral  oration  pronounced  over  it  by  a distinguished 
member  of  the  Mexican  Congress. 

With  more  truth  in  Mexico  than  in  any  other  country 
may  one  say  of  popular  applause  and  favor — 

“ Thou  many-headed  monster  thing. 

Oh  who  would  wish  to  be  thy  king.” 


126  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

The  new  Market  just  finished  and  also  named  in  honor 
of  Santa  Anna,  is  admirably  arranged  for  its  purpose. 

Of  all  the  spots  in  Mexico,  the  Alameda  is  the  most 
beautiful.  It  is  a public  square  on  the  western  border 
of  the  city,  containing  about  forty  acres,  enclosed  by  a 
stone  wall.  It  is  covered  with  a thick  growth  of  poplar 
trees  and  hence  the  name ; the  whole  square  is  intersected 
with  walks  paved  with  flag-stones ; all  these  walks  unite 
in  the  centre  where  there  is  a beautiful  jet  d’eau,  and  from 
this, point  they  diverge  in  every  direction,  and  again  unite 
in  four  or  five  smaller  circles.  There  is  a carriage-way 
inside  of  the  wall  entirely  surrounding  the  square. 

A short  distance  from  the  Alameda  is  the  Paseo — the 
fashionable  ride.  It  is  a broad  road  just  on  the  outside  of 
the  city,  of  perhaps  a mile  in  length,  and  terminating  at 
the  aqueduct.  Here  everyone  in  Mexico  who  has  a coach 
of  his  own,  and  every  one  who  has  not,  who  has  money  to 
pay  the  hire  of  a hackney  coach,  assemble,  besides  hundreds 
and  often  thousands  of  horsemen.  I would  say  at  a ven- 
ture that  I have  frequently  seen  a thousand  carriages  and 
more  than  five  thousand  horsemen  on  the  Paseo.  If  I were 
now  to  return  to  Mexico,  and  desired  to  see  any  of  my  ac- 
quaintance, 1 would  go  to  the  Paseo,  with  the  utmost  confi- 
dence of  meeting  them  there.  It  is  just  as  much  a habit 
of  their  lives  to  ride  on  the  Paseo  in  the  evening,  and  to  go 
to  the  theatre  at  night,  as  it  is  to  breakfast  or  dine.  The 
carriages  used  by  the  ladies  are  always  closed,  but  with 
pannels  instead  of  curtains  ; through  the  windows  of  their 
coaches  they  see  and  are  seen  by  their  lovers,  exchange 
glances,  and  salute  them  most  gracefully  with  their  fans. 
In  this  way  and  almost  in  this  way  only,  are  the  courtships 
conducted,  and  often  for  months  and  years,  without  the 
parties  ever  having  exchanged  a word  with  each  other. 


CHAP.  XIII.] 


AaUEDUCTS. 


127 


So  of  the  theatre  ; it  is  not  an  occasional  recreation,  as 
with  us,  but  a part,  and  by  no  means  an  unimportant  part 
of  the  business  of  life.  You  are  perfectly  certain  to  meet 
the  same  faces  every  night  of  the  year  at  the  theatre.  I 
once  asked  a very  accomplished  and  elegant  woman,  who 
was  the  mother  of  eight  or  ten  children,  and  whose  family 
circle  consisted  of  as  many  more  persons — “ Do  you  go, 
Madam,  to  the  theatre  every  night  ?”  “ Oh,  yes,  Sir,”  she 
replied,  “ how  else  could  I possibly  get  through  the  even- 
ings ?” 

They  have  no  fire-places  in  Mexico,  and  I think  that  this 
circumstance  has  a very  great  influence  on  their  character. 
It  is  not  easy  to  estimate  the  moral  influence  of  these 
family  reunions,  to  which  we  are  accustomed,  around  the 
fireside  on  long  winter  evenings,  which  are  passed  in  read- 
ing some  excellent  book,  or  in  conversation  not  less  in- 
structive. 

The  two  aqueducts  by  which  the  city  is  supplied  with 
water,  were  constructed  by  the  Vice  Royal  Government, 
and  have  the  solid  and  substantial  character  of  all  Spanish 
architecture.  The  lower  aqueduct  is  in  precisely  the  same 
place  as  that  which  the  Spaniards  found  there  at  the  Con- 
quest, and  by  the  destruction  of  which  so  much  suffering 
was  caused  to  the  Mexicans.  Its  whole  length  is  133,426 
feet,  a portion  of  which,  however,  is  nothing  more  than  a 
canal  walled  with  stone.  The  other,  the  water  of  which 
is  supplied  by  the  Spring  of  Chapultepec,  is  only  10,826  feet 
in  length.  The  aqueducts  rest  on  stone  arches  about  fif- 
teen feet  high,  and  on  these  arches  is  a species  of  canal 
made  of  stone,  through  which  the  water  flows.  One  ter- 
minates near  the  Alameda,  which  is  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  ; the  other,  at  a greater  distance.  The  water  is  car- 
ried into  the  city,  and  sold  at  a very  small  price  by  poor 


128 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XIII. 


Indians  (aquadores).  They  carry  one  very  large  stone  jug 
on  their  back,  with  a leather  band  attached  to  it,  which 
comes  over  the  forehead,  and  another  with  a similar  band 
over  the  back  of  the  head,  and  the  jug  suspended  in  front. 
If  either  of  these  jugs  is  broken,  the  Indian  of  course  falls, 
for  the  balance  is  most  accurately  adjusted.  Nothing 
would  be  easier  than  to  conduct  the  water  in  pipes  into 
every  house  in  the  city,  and  at  very  small  expense ; but 
this  I suppose  has  never  occurred  to  them ; and  perhaps  if 
it  had,  it  would  not  have  been  done,  as  it  would  throw  the 
aquadores,  a numerous  class,  out  of  employment.  I do  not 
think  that  the  addition  which  would  thus  be  made  to  the 
immense  number  of  idle  leperos  about  the  street  would  be 
at  all  noticed. 

In  walking  the  streets  of  Mexico,  it  would  be  very  safe 
to  bet  that  eight  out  of  every  ten  persons  you  would  meet 
would  be  officers,  soldiers,  priests,  friars,  or  leperos,  and  it 
would  be  difficult  to  decide  which  class  is  the  most  nume- 
rous. All  but  the  last  of  these  classes  are  not  only  unpro- 
ductive, but  a charge  upon  the  country.  It  does  not  seem 
to  me  that  the  whole  productive  industry  of  the  country,  so 
far  as  the  Mexicans  are  concerned,  and  excluding  the  pro- 
fits of  the  labor  and  capital  of  foreigners,  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  support  these  drones. 

I should  not  omit  to  notice  the  great  national  pawn-shop  of 
Mexico,  Monte  Pio,  the  funds  of  which  are  supplied  by  the 
Government,  an  institution  under  the  superintendence  of 
Don  Francisco  Tagle,  a distinguished  and  virtuous  man. 
Persons  who  are  pressed  for  money,  and  have  anything 
whatever  to  pawn,  take  it  there  and  have  it  valued,  and 
receive  in  money  two-thirds  of  the  sum  at  which  it  is 
valued.  They  are  allowed  to  keep  the  money  for  six 
months,  at  an  interest  of  six  per  cent.,  when,  if  they  are  not 


CHAP.  XIII.] 


GREAT  NATIONAL  PAWN  SHOP. 


129 


able  to  redeem  the  article  which  they  have  pawned,  it  is 
sold,  provided  the  sum  advanced  with  interest  is  bid  for  it ; 
if  that  is  not  the  case,  it  is  not  sold.  Whatever  sum  above 
that  amount  the  article  is  sold  for,  is  paid  over  to  the 
owner. 

A very  large  and  splendid  building,  on  the  public  square, 
which  was  built  by  Cortes,  and  which,  I believe,  is  still 
owned  by  his  descendants,  is  appropriated  to  this  institu- 
tion, very  many  rooms  of  which  are  filled  with  the  infinite 
varieties  of  articles  which  have  been  pawned  ; all  of  which 
the  superintendent  very  kindly  showed  me.  In  one  room 
are  hung  up  old  garments  of  the  Indians,  the  larger  portion 
of  which  are  literally  of  no  earthly  value  but  to  a paper 
manufacturer  ; in  another,  the  swords,  epaulettes,  and  uni- 
forms of  military  officers,  plate  of  every  description,  snuff- 
boxes set  in  diamonds,  and  sets  of  pearls  and  brilliants,  one 
of  which  I saw  being  valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars.  The 
effects  of  this  institution  are  altogether  beneficent,  as  many 
necessitous  and  ignorant  people  are  saved  by  it  from  those 
harpies,  pawnbrokers  and  usurers. 

The  habit  of  accumulating  jewels  is  always  most  common 
in  revolutionary  times  and  countries,  as  wealth  is  more 
portable,  and,  what  is  more  important,  more  easily  con- 
cealed in  that  than  in  any  other  form.  I was  very  much 
struck  with  one  instance  of  this,  which  came  under  my  ob- 
servation. There  was  an  old  Indian  woman,  who  sold 
vegetables  at  the  house  at  which  I stayed  when  I first  went 
to  Mexico  ; she  never  wore  stockings,  nor  any  other  arti- 
cles of  clothing  but  a chemise  and  petticoat,  and  reboza  (a 
long  shawl).  I noticed  on  her  neck  one  day  a strand  of 
beads  which  looked  like  pearls,  but  it  is  very  difficult  for 
one  not  accustomed  to  them  to  distinguish  the  genuine 
pearls  from  the  cheap  imitations.  I said  to  my  hostess, 
•y* 


130 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XIII. 


“ Of  course  those  are  not  real  pearls  which  that  old  woman 
wears.”  “ Indeed,”  said  she,  “ they  are.”  I asked  what 
was  their  value,  and  was  told  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thou- 
sand dollars.  All  the  balance  of  her  worldly  gear  was, 
doubtless,  not  worth  ten  dollars.  I entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  the  old  Indian  woman,  asked  her  why  she  had 
not  laid  out  her  money  in  something  more  useful,  a house, 
for  example.  “ Yes,”  said  she,  “ and  have  it  destroyed  in 
some  revolution,  or  have  high  taxes  to  pay  for  it ! No,”  she 
continued,  “ I am  now  secure  against  ever  suffering  ; when 
I am  sick  or  very  old,  I can  pawn  this  at  Monte  Pio,  or  sell 
them  one  at  a time,  as  I have  bought  them.” 

I will  mention  another  instance  of  a similar  character. 
A very  worthy  man,  a native  of  the  United  States,  had 
married  a Mexican  woman,  from  whom  he  had  separated, 
not  without  cause.  She  was  about  to  commence  legal 
proceedings  against  him,  and,  as  he  was  a foreigner  and  she 
a Mexican,  he  saw  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed. 
They  both  called  upon  me,  and  asked  my  interposition  to 
procure  an  amicable  arrangement  between  them.  With 
not  a little  difficulty  I at  length  brought  them  to  terms — he 
allowed  her  a hundred  dollars  a month.  A few  months 
afterwards  she  came  to  see  me,  and  complained  that  the 
allowance  was  not  a sufficient  one.  I told  her  that  I was 
afraid  that  she  had  been  a little  extravagant,  and  my  eyes, 
at  the  same  time,  rested  on  four  new  diamond  rings  which 
she  had  on  her  fingers.  She  became  very  angry,  and, 
amongst  other  things,  said  : “ You  are  unjust,  sir,  to  say  so  ; 
look  here,  sir,”  holding  out  her  hand,  “do  you  call  a woman 
extravagant  who,  out  of  so  small  an  allowance,  has  saved 
enough  money  in  a few  months  to  purchase  four  such  rings 
as  these  ?”  “ Well,  really,  madam,”  said  I,  “it  is  rather  an 

odd  proof  of  your  frugality,  that  you  have  purchased  four 


CHAP.  XIII.] 


FOUR  DIAMOND  RINGS. 


131 


costly  rings.”  “ Yes,  sir,”  said  she,  “ you  say  so  because 
you  know  nothing  of  the  habits  of  our  country.  I have 
bought  these  rings  that  hereafter,  if  I should  be  reduced  to 
want,  I may  sell  them,  or  pawn  them  at  Monte  Pio.” 

The  old  vegetable  woman,  I have  no  doubt,  stated  what 
was  the  true  motive  for  her  purchase  of  the  pearls  ; I had 
some  doubt  in  the  other  case. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Gambling  Festival  of  St.  Augustin — Cock-fighting — Anecdotes  of  Mexican 
Honesty — Visit  to  the  city  of  Tezcuco — Mexican  Horses — Pyramids— 
Ruins — An  Indian  Inn — Extraordinary  Ruin. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  the  great  gambling 
feast  of  St.  Augustin  took  place.  I am  not  sufficiently 
learned  upon  the  subject  of  Catholic  saints  to  know  why 
St.  Augustin  is  the  patron  of  gamblers,  and  his  anni- 
versary is  celebrated  by  all  sorts  of  games.  The  village 
of  San  Augustin  is  about  twelve  miles  from  Mexico,  and 
there  this  festival  is  celebrated.  Every  human  creature 
in  Mexico,  high  and  low,  old  and  young,  who  can  get  there, 
is  certain  to  go.  Rooms  are  engaged,  and  preparations 
made  for  weeks  beforehand.  Doubloons,  which  are  gene- 
rally worth  only  fifteen  dollars  and  a quarter,  as  the  festival 
approaches  rise  in  value  to  sixteen  and  seventeen  dollars. 
It  is  not  genteel  to  bet  anything  but  gold.  The  scene  opens 
with  cock-fighting,  about  twelve  o’clock.  It  is  attended  by 
everybody.  When  I entered  the  cock-pit,  Santa  Anna  and 
General  Bravo,  with  a large  number  of  the  most  distin- 
guished men  in  Mexico,  and  quite  a large  number  of  ladies 
of  the  highest  circles,  were  already  there.  The  master  of 
ceremonies  on  the  occasion  walked  into  the  pit,  and  ex- 
claimed two  or  three  times,  44  Ave  Maria  purissima  los 
gallos  vienen” — 44  Hail,  most  pure  Mary,  the  chicken-cocks 
are  coming.”  Whereupon  a cock  is  brought  in  covered, 
and  a challenge  is  proclaimed,  a Voutrance , to  all  comers, 
which  is  very  soon  accepted.  The  fowls  are  then  unco- 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


COCK-FIGHTING. 


133 


vered,  and  allowed  to  walk  about  the  pit,  that  the  specta- 
tors may  see  them,  and  select  the  one  on  which  they  choose 
to  risk  their  money.  Those  in  the  seats  call  some  of  the 
numerous  brokers  who  are  always  in  attendance,  and  give 
them  whatever  sum  of  money  they  desire  to  bet,  and  desig- 
nate their  favorite  cock.  Before  the  fight  commences,  the 
broker  returns  and  informs  the  person  whose  money  he  has 
received  whether  his  bet  has  been  taken.  If  he  loses,  he 
sees  no  more  of  the  broker ; but  if  he  wins,  he  is  perfectly 
sure  to  get  his  money.  A small  gratification  is  expected 
by  the  broker,  but  never  asked  for,  if  it  is  not  voluntarily 
given.  I have  been  surprised  to  see  these  fellows,  who 
are  often  entrusted  with  the  money  of  a dozen  different 
persons,  never  make  a mistake  as  to  the  person  for  whom 
the  bet  was  made,  nor  the  amount  of  it.  And  it  is  another 
evidence  of  what  I have  before  remarked  as  to  the  honesty 
of  that  class  of  Mexicans,  that  they  never  attempt  to  go  off 
with  the  money,  which  they  could  so  easily  do,  for  it  would 
be  as  impossible  for  a stranger  to  identify  one  of  these 
Indians,  as  it  would  be  to  select  a particular  crow  out  of  a 
flock  of  a hundred. 

I saw,  on  these  occasions,  a sign  which  I thought  omi- 
nous— there  was  always  the  most  vociferous  shouting  when- 
ever Santa  Anna’s  fowl  lost  his  fight. 

As  soon  as  the  cock-fighting  is  over,  the  gambling  at 
monte  commences.  There  are  a great  many  public  tables, 
and  some  private  ones.  It  is  at  the  latter  only  that  Santa 
Anna  plays.  There  are  many  tables  where  nothing  but 
gold  is  bet,  others  where  nothing  but  silver,  and  other 
tables  again  for  copper.  The  game  is  a perfectly  fair  one, 
and  one  at  which  cheating  is,  I should  think,  impossible. 

There  is  some  very  small  advantage  in  the  game  in  favor 
of  the  bank.  I think  it  is  only  this  : if  the  bet  is  decided  in 


134 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIV. 


favor  of  the  better  on  the  first  turn,  there  is  a very  small 
deduction  from  the  amount  paid,  an  eighth,  or  perhaps  a 
fourth.  But  there  is  another,  and  a much  more  important 
advantage  to  the  bank,  in  this,  as  in  all  of  these  public 
games  ; men  always  double  and  bet  high  when  they  have 
won,  and,  generally  speaking,  if  the  bank  wins  one  bet  in 
three,  the  better  has  lost  in  the  end.  I had  not  seen  one  of 
these  public  games  played  for  very  many  years  until  I went 
to  Mexico,  and  only  saw  it  twice  there  ; but  my  own  obser- 
vation has  fully  satisfied  me  of  the  truth  of  what  I have 
said,  and  I should  be  rejoiced  to  know  that  this  suggestion 
had  prevented  any  one  person  from  indulging  in  those  most 
pernicious  of  games,  pernicious  as  all  games  of  chance  are. 
I was  very  much  struck  with  one  thing  which  I noticed. 
I have  seen,  I am  sure,  fifty  thousand  dollars  on  the  tables 
at  once,  probably  in  fifty  different  piles,  and  belonging  to  as 
many  different  betters,  and  yet  I never  witnessed  a dispute 
of  any  sort  as  to  the  ownership  of  any  one  of  these  piles. 
I have  seen  a sum  which  the  person  who  bet  had  omitted 
to  take  up  when  he  had  won ; no  one  claimed  it  until  it  had 
increased  to  quite  a large  sum  by  winning  double  every 
time  ; and  when,  even,  it  would  be  asked  whose  bet  it  was, 
and  thus  announced  that  it  was  forgotten,  no  one  would 
claim  it. 

The  gravity  and  propriety  of  Spanish  manners  are  never 
wanting,  even  at  the  gaming-table.  I have  seen  men  in 
the  humbler  walks  of  life  lose  several  thousand  dollars,  and 
perhaps  the  last  which  they  possessed,  without  a frown,  or 
the  slightest  sign  of  emotion  of  any  sort.  Greatly  per- 
nicious as  is  the  practice  of  gaming  everywhere,  and  in  all 
its  forms,  I do  not  think  that  it  is  anywhere  so  much  so  as 
in  Mexico.  The  people  of  all  mining  countries  are  charac- 
teristically thriftless  and  improvident,  but,  I believe,  nowhere 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


COCK-FIGHTING. 


135 


more  than  in  Mexico.  There  are  very  few  instances  in 
Mexico  of  men  who  have  any  idea  of  that  certain  compe- 
tency which  is  the  reward  of  industry  in  any  employment, 
and  the  savings  of  even  small  earnings,  whereby  the 
small  gains  of  one  year  swell  those  of  the  next,  which  is 
so  well  expressed  in  the  maxim  of  Dr.  Franklin,  “ that  the 
second  hundred  dollars  is  much  easier  made  than  the  first, 
the  first  assisting  to  make  the  second.”  Whilst  they  habi- 
tually postpone  everything,  hasta  manana , until  to-morrow, 
they  never  think  of  making  any  provision  for  that  to-mor- 
row. If  they  ever  do  lay  up  money,  it  is  for  the  purpose 
of  attending  the  feast  of  San  Augustin,  and  with  the  hope 
of  winning  a fortune  with  it.  They  hear  of  some  one,  per- 
haps, who  has  done  so,  but  they  do  not  think  of  the  thou- 
sands who  have  lost. 

There  is  a dance  on  the  green  in  the  evening,  and  an- 
other ball  in  the  cock-pit  at  night,  to  which  every  one  is 
admitted  who  is  decently  dressed  and  can  pay  for  a ticket. 
The  first  people  in  the  city,  of  both  sexes,  are  seen  dancing 
with  the  most  dissolute  and  depraved,  not  only  in  the  same 
dance,  but  as  partners.  This  feast  lasts  three  or  four  days, 
and,  from  all  that  I saw,  I should  say  that  it  is  almost  the 
only  occasion  when  persons  of  respectability  in  the  city  of 
Mexico  gamble  at  all.  Sometimes  an  evening  is  passed  in 
playing  at  monte  for  fourpences,  when  not  more  than  three 
or  four  dollars  are  lost  by  any  one.  I can  only  say  that, 
with  the  exception  of  the  annual  feast  of  San  Augustin,  I 
never  saw  a pack  of  cards  during  my  residence  in  Mexico, 
except  on  two  occasions,  when  a game  of  whist  was  played 
at  the  houses  of  private  gentlemen.  I am  quite  sure  that  it 
is  only  on  such  occasions  that  General  Santa  Anna  plays  at 
all.  I have  heard  much  said  of  the  gambling  of  priests  and 
ladies  in  Mexico — I never  saw  nor  heard  there  of  either 
doing  it ; nor  do  I believe  that  there  is  any  foundation  for 


136 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIV. 


the  charge, — for  I should  regard  it  as  a charge,  and  a very 
discreditable  one. 

I have  already  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  calls  upon 
the  Minister  from  the  United  States  in  Mexico,  for  his  offi- 
cial interposition,  and  cases  involving  an  infinite  variety  of 
questions  of  international  law,  are  more  numerous  than  in 
any  other  of  our  foreign  missions.  They  make  the  office 
of  such  minister  by  no  means  a sinecure — I certainly  did 
not  find  it  one.  This  reason  alone  would  have  prevented 
me  from  making  frequent  excursions  into  the  country ; I 
had  on  several  occasions  made  all  my  arrangements  for 
such  an  excursion,  when  some  difficulty  arose  with  the 
government  which  prevented  my  leaving  the  city.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  there  is  not  a road  in  Mexico  two  miles  from 
the  city  which  is  not  infested  with  robbers,  and  the  precau- 
tions which  are  necessary  on  this  account  are  not  a little 
inconvenient.  I was  anxious,  however,  to  visit  the  ancient 
city  of  Tezcuco,  which  at  the  period  of  the  conquest  was 
second  only  to  the  city  of  Mexico  ; it  is  also  a place  famous 
in  history  as  the  spot  where  Cortes  launched  hi&  thirteen 
brigantines,  which  were  used  with  so  much  effect  in  his 
second  and  successful  attack  upon  the  city  of  Mexico. 
They  were  built  in  Tlascala,  sixty  miles  distant,  and  were 
carried  to  Tezcuco  by  the  Tlascalans,  and  put  together  and 
launched  there.  The  city  of  Tezcuco  was  at  that  time  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  but  the  waters  have  receded 
and  left  it  three  miles  distant ; the  site  of  Mexico  is  the 
same  now  as  then,  but  it  was  then  surrounded  by  water 
and  connected  with  the  mainland  by  three  causeways — the 
same  receding  of  the  waters  of  the  lake  at  Tezcuco  leaves 
the  city  of  Mexico  the  same  distance  from  the  western 
shore.  The  lake  is  daily  crossed  by  Indians  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Tezcuco,  carrying  vegetables,  coal  and  other 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


THE  CITY  OF  TEZCUCO. 


137 


articles  to  Mexico  for  sale.  I was  anxious  to  have  crossed 
the  lake  in  one  of  their  boats,  but  could  not  procure  one  at 
the  only  time  when  it  was  convenient  for  me  to  leave 
Mexico.  I therefore  hired  a hackney  coach  drawn  by  four 
spirited  little  white  horses  and  driven  by  an  American,  and 
took  the  land  route,  which  doubled  the  distance.  For  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  our  journey  was  by  the  road  to  Vera 
Cruz,  through  the  valley — and  thence  leaving  one  of  those 
small  mountains  of  which  I have  spoken  on  our  left,  in  a 
north-eastern  direction,  I arrived  in  Tezcuco  with  a very 
agreeable  party  of  gentlemen,  most  of  them  American, 
about  sundown.  We  were  told  in  reply  to  our  inquiries  as 
to  the  best  inn,  that  the  only  one  in  the  place  was  a small 
hovel,  which  was  pointed  out.  When  we  applied  there, 
however,  we  found  to  our  astonishment  that  beds  and  lodg- 
ing were  not  at  all  understood  in  the  city  of  Tezcuco  (as 
it  is  still  called,  and  it  has  a population  of  seven  or  eight 
thousand  souls)  as  constituting  any  part  of  the  accommoda- 
tion of  an  inn.  All  that  our  utmost  endeavors  could 
accomplish  for  the  accommodation  of  a party  of  ten  or 
twelve  was  to  obtain  one  room  in  a dilapidated  old  house 
of  one  story,  the  only  door  of  which  opened  into  the  stable 
yard,  through  which  we  had  to  pass  to  get  into  the  apart- 
ment ; there  was  not  an  article  of  furniture  in  the  room  of 
any  sort,  chair,  table,  or  even  a bench.  Our  next  difficulty 
was  to  obtain  straw  to  sleep  on ; a very  insufficient  supply 
of  this  article  was  at  last  with  great  difficulty  procured. 
Some  of  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  party  very  kindly 
went  into  the  city  to  ascertain  if  either  for  love  or  money 
they  could  procure  a bed  of  any  sort  for  me  ; they  returned 
with  a cot  with  a mattrass  attached  to  it.  I was  really 
grateful,  but  I very  soon  found  that  my  gratitude  was  due 
only  to  the  kind  feelings  which  had  induced  them  to  take 


138 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XIV. 


so  much  trouble  on  my  account  and  not  for  any  comfort 
which  the  cot  would  afford  me,  for  it  was  swarming  with 
bugs.  I made  as  comfortable  a bed  as  I could  of  some  of 
the  straw  and  covered  myself  with  my  cloak ; following  the 
example  of  the  soldiers  of  the  conquest  who  always  slept 
with  their  armor  on,  I did  not  pull  off  my  clothes,  but 
passed  the  night  in  them  as  a protection.  We  arose  very 
early  the  next  morning  and,  mounted  on  very  indifferent 
looking  little  Mexican  horses,  took  the  road  for  St.  Juan 
de  Teatihuacan,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  stand  the  two 
remarkable  pyramids  of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  as  they  are 
called,  upon  no  sufficient  authority.  I said  that  our  horses 
were  indifferent  looking  ; I am  quite  sure  that  in  no  part  of 
the  United  States  would  any  one  of  them  have  sold  for 
thirty-five  dollars,  yet  more  active,  durable  and  fine  going 
animals  I have  nowhere  seen.  The  distance  from  Tezcuco 
to  the  pyramids  was  more  than  eighteen  miles,  nearly  every 
foot  of  which  was  passed  in  a rapid  gallop  ; we  returned  to 
Tezcuco  the  same  evening,  after  having  examined  every- 
thing in  the  neighborhood. 

The  Mexican  horses  are  not  handsome  (I  never  saw  a 
handsome  one)  ; they  are  generally  about  fourteen  hands 
and  from  that  to  fifteen  hands  high,  but  they  have  nothing 
of  the  peculiar  formation  of  ponies.  They  are  raised  on 
grass  altogether  : the  experience  in  this  country  is  that 
horses  raised  on  grass  are  not  generally  good.  It  is  said 
that  there  is  no  instance  of  a horse  being  distinguished  on 
the  turf,  which  even  when  a colt  was  fed  chiefly  on  grass. 
But  it  is  otherwise  in  Mexico.  I have  never  seen  any 
horses  which  were  capable  of  enduring  so  much  fatigue 
on  the  road,  and  of  maintaining  a rapid  gait  for  so  long  a 
time. 

For  several  miles  before  we  arrived  at  the  pyramids  we 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


PYRAMIDS. 


139 


had  a full  view  of  them  ; and  when  I first  saw  them  I sup- 
posed that  they  were  mountains.  I have  not  access  to  a 
copy  of  Humboldt’s  Researches,  but  I find  in  a very  brief 
synopsis  of  the  work,  which  has  been  published  as  one  of 
the  volumes  of  the  Family  Library,  that  he  states  the  height 
of  the  largest  of  these  pyramids  at  a hundred  and  fifty, 
and  the  smaller  one  at  a hundred  and  forty-four  feet.  I 
am  confident  that  they  are  of  greater  elevation,  and  still 
more  confident  that  there  is  a much  greater  difference  than 
six  feet  between  them.  Mr.  Mayer  says  that  the  highest  of 
these  pyramids  is  171  feet.  Mr.  Glennie  says  221,  which 
I have  no  doubt  is  nearer  the  true  height.  The  base  is  684 
feet. 

They  are  perfectly  square  at  the  base,  and  run  up  to  a 
sharp  point,  a fact  which  I think  furnishes  a strong  reason 
to  believe  that  the  pyramid  of  Cholula  either  has  once  had 
a much  greater  elevation  than  it  now  has,  or  that  such  was 
the  original  design.  Why  else  the  large  area  on  the  top, 
when  all  other  similar  structures  in  Mexico  are  carried  up 
to  a very  narrow  apex  ? These  pyramids  are  built  of  un- 
hewn stone  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  That  of  Cholula  is 
built  of  unburnt  bricks.  They  are  now  covered  with  earth, 
and  overgrown  with  grass  and  small  bushes.  There  is  an 
entrance  to  the  smaller  of  these  pyramids,  through  which  a 
man  may  pass  on  his  hands  and  knees.  This  aperture  is  on 
the  southern  side,  and  about  half-way  up  the  pyramid,  and 
terminates  on  the  inside  on  a flight  of  stone  steps  which  ex- 
tend to  the  bottom,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a well.  The 
whole  face  of  these  artificial  mountains  is  covered  with 
fragments  of  figures  and  images  of  clay  of  ten  thousand 
different  kinds,  and  with  broken  instruments  of  obsidian ; in 
short,  with  fragments  of  almost  all  the  Indian  antiquities 
which  one  is  accustomed  to  see  in  Mexican  collections.  I 


140 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIV. 


mean  literally  what  I say,  that  the  whole  pyramid  is  thus 
covered.  One  may  shut  his  eyes  and  drop  a dollar  from 
his  hand,  and  the  chances  are  at  least  equal  that  it  will 
fall  upon  something  of  the  kind.  The  bases  of  the  two 
pyramids  are  some  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from  each 
other. 

A few  hundred  yards  from  the  pyramids,  in  a secluded 
spot,  shut  closely  in  by  two  small  hillocks,  is  a very  remark- 
able stone — no  doubt  a sacrificial  stone.  I think  it  is  about 
ten  feet  long,  five  or  six  feet  broad,  and  as  many  feet  in 
height.  It  is  very  handsomely  hewn,  with  a well  cut  cor- 
nice, but  has  none  of  the  human  or  other  figures  in  relief, 
which  are  so  well  cut  on  the  sacrificial  stones  in  Mexico. 
The  whole  weight  of  this  huge  mass  of  porphyritic  stone 
cannot  be  less  than  twenty-five  tons.  There  is  no  stone  of 
the  same  kind,  or  any  other  in  as  large  masses,  within  seve- 
ral miles  of  the  spot  where  this  now  stands.  How  did  it 
get  there  ? The  ancient  Mexicans  had  no  beasts  of  burden 
of  any  sort,  and  so  far  as  we  know,  no  other  means  by 
which  such  large  masses  could  have  been  moved. 

From  the  pyramid  which  I have  been  describing  a broad 
street  leads  off  in  a southern  direction  for  six  or  eight 
hundred  yards,  and  terminates  in  the  ruins  of  a large  city. 
These  ruins  cover  an  area  very  nearly  as  large  as  that  of 
the  present  city  of  Mexico,  and  the  streets  are  as  distinctly 
marked  by  the  ruins  of  the  houses.  There  is  one  large  public 
square  of  twenty  acres,  with  the  ruin  of  a stone  building  in 
the  centre  of  it ; with  many  more  smaller  squares  in  different 
places,  and  each  of  them  having  the  same  ruin  in  the  centre, 
but  about  as  much  smaller  than  the  ruin  in  the  large  square  as 
the  proportionate  difference  in  the  size  of  the  squares  them- 
selves. If  it  was  desired  to  build  a new  city  on  the  same  spot, 
one  could  not  be  laid  out  in  any  respect  better  than  by  adopt- 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


PYRAMIDS. 


141 


ing  the  plan  of  this  one  which  is  in  ruins.  The  streets  and  pub- 
lic squares  are  designated  by  the  large  piles  of  rock  in  close 
juxtaposition  on  the  sides  of  each,  but  each  pile  separate, 
and  having  exactly  the  appearance,  only  larger,  of  a long 
row  of  potato  hills.  These  stones  have  manifestly  not  been 
placed  one  upon  another,  but  have  exactly  the  appearance 
of  a brick  or  stone  house  which  has  tumbled  down.  Those 
who  have  seen  individual  ruins  of  that  sort,  know  that  the 
bricks  or  stones  will  fall  and  ultimately  form  an  almost  per- 
fect cone,  and  would  not  hesitate  a moment  in  saying  that 
these  cones  which  I have  described  were  formed  in  that 
way.  It  has  been  suggested  that  each  of  these  is  a sepa- 
rate pyramid,  and  that  they  were  all  places  of  sepulture. 
Nothing,  I think,  can  be  more  absurd.  It  is  perfectly  appa- 
rent that  no  more  art  has  been  used  in  making  the  pile,  than 
is  practised  by  a farmer  in  throwing  together  the  stones 
which  he  finds  in  his  fields.  And  if  it  was  a place  of  burial, 
why  was  it  laid  out  in  streets  and  squares  ? Why  have  no 
human  bones  been  found  there  ? and  more  than  all  these,  if 
it  is  indeed  a vast  burial  plain,  where  did  the  people  come 
from  who  are  buried  there  ? It  could  only  have  been  for  a 
limited  extent  of  the  adjacent  country  that  it  was  so  used, 
and  the  whole  population  of  Mexico,  since  the  flood,  might 
be  expected  to  be  found  there,  if  it  was  in  truth  a place  of 
sepulture.  I have  thought  it  proper  to  say  thus  much,  as 
some  recent  American  travellers  in  Mexico  have  adopted 
the  very  absurd  idea  which  I have  been  combating. 

On  the  western  side  of  this  ruined  city  is  a ravine  of 
some  forty  feet  wide,  the  sides  of  which  are  for  the  greater 
portion  of  its  extent  of  a soft  rock.  On  each  bank  of  this 
ravine  there  are  niches  of  eighteen  inches  or  two  feet  in 
diameter  and  of  a circular  form  ; these  are  said  by  the  natives 
of  the  country  to  have  been  places  of  sepulture,  which  I think 


142 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap,  XIV. 


more  probable.  From  the  earliest  times  of  which  we 
have  any  record  or  tradition  this  portion  of  the  country 
has  never  been  uninhabited,  and  as  every  people,  savage 
or  civilized,  regard  with  peculiar  sacredness  the  places 
where  the  dead  are  deposited,  it  is  not  probable  that  such  a 
tradition  should  exist  if  it  had  not  been  founded  in  truth ; 
whilst  it  is  altogether  improbable  that  if  these  ruins  are  the 
tombs  of  generations,  however  long  past,  no  tradition 
of  it  should  exist  now  and  did  not  at  the  period  of  the 
conquest.  Our  own  Indians  never  lived  in  large  cities,  but 
always  in  small  and  detached  villages.  Not  so  in  Mexico, 
as  all  know.  It  is  a little  remarkable,  however,  that  in  the 
ruins  of  so  large  a city  as  this  must  have  been,  that  not  a 
single  piece  of  hewn  stone  should  be  found,  except  the 
large  sacrificial  stone  which  I have  described,  and 
which  is  as  well  cut  as  it  could  be  done  at  the  present  day, 
which  makes  it  still  more  curious,  that  they  should  have 
had  the  art  but  did  not  practise  it.  Whilst  looking  at  these 
ruins  and  often  on  other  occasions,  I deeply  regretted  that 
Mr.  Stephens,  our  distinguished  traveller  and  altogether 
unequalled  writer  of  books  of  travels,  had  not  accompanied 
me  to  Mexico,  which  he  at  one  time  had  an  idea  of  doing. 
Mexico  is  even  yet  very  much  a terra  incognita.  I know 
no  wider  field  for  such  researches,  nor  one  from  which 
more  valuable  information  may  be  collected,  and  no  one 
more  capable  of  making  those  researches  and  reporting 
their  results,  than  that  distinguished  gentleman.  We 
returned  the  same  evening  to  our  lodgings  in  Tezcuco, 
which  I really  did  not  find  uncomfortable  after  the  fatigues 
of  such  a day.  I must  by  no  means  omit  to  notice  the  inn 
of  Tezcuco,  as  it  is  there  called,  and  which  was  meant  by 
the  person  of  whom  we  made  inquiries  on  our  arrival  in 
the  city  ; although  it  was,  strictly  speaking,  only  an  eating- 


CHAP.  XIV.] 


AN  INDIAN  INN. 


143 


house  or  restaurant.  The  inn  consisted  of  one  low  dirty 
room,  about  fifteen  feet  square,  which  served  for  parlor, 
dining-room  and  kitchen.  The  only  furniture  was  some 
wooden  forks  stuck  in  the  ground,  upon  which  two  or  three 
undressed  planks  were  placed  for  a table — a rough  bench 
on  each  side,  and  some  earthen  pans  in  which  our  meal 
was  cooked,  and  others  of  the  same  kind  out  of  which  we 
ate  it.  As  to  knives  and  forks,  they  were  a modern  luxury 
of  which  I do  not  suppose  that  our  old  Indian  hostess  had 
ever  even  heard.  The  supper  consisted  of  a single  dish, 
which  would  be  strictly  true,  if  the  term  dish  is  applied  to 
the  rude  article  in  which  the  multifai’ious  hotchpotch  was 
served  up,  for  it  consisted  of  about  as  many  different  things 
as  were  contained  in  the  sheet  which  St.  Peter,  with  less 
reason  than  we  had,  thought  unclean.  Pork,  beef,  mutton, 
turkey,  fowl,  cabbage,  Irish  potatoes,  carrots,  squashes, 
beans,  onions,  tomatoes,  and  red  peppers  were  all  boiled  to- 
gether. So  that  the  beef  tasted  like  mutton  and  the  mut- 
ton like  beef — the  cabbages  were  carrots  and  the  carrots 
cabbages — and  it  therefore  made  very  little  difference 
which  was  selected,  for  they  all  tasted  alike.  This  mode 
of  cooking  was  by  no  means  peculiar  to  “ mine  hostess”  of 
Tezcuco  ; so  far  as  I know  it  is  universal  in  all  Mexican 
houses.  The  next  morning  I visited  a much  more  remark- 
able ruin,  and  one  which  I regarded  as  in  all  respects  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  which  has  yet  been  discovered 
in  this  continent.  Extraordinary  in  itself  from  the  im- 
mense labor  which  its  construction  must  have  cost,  and  its 
Cyclopean  character,  but  still  more  so  from  the  difficulty  of 
saying  with  any  reasonable  certainty  what  was  the  object 
in  constructing  it. 

There  is  a small  mountain  about  three  miles  east  of  Tez- 
cuco. On  the  almost  perfectly  precipitous  side  of  this 


144 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIV. 


mountain,  at  an  elevation  of  eighty  to  a hundred  feet, 
there  is  a circular  basin  of  five  or  six  feet  in  diameter,  cut 
in  a solid  rock.  There  is  another  mountain  very  near  this  ; 
the  summits  of  these  by  an  air  line  are  not  more  than 
three  quarters  of  a mile  apart ; this  last  mountain  is  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles  distant  from  the  main  ledge  of  moun- 
tains which  bound  the  eastern  portion  of  the  valley  of  Mex- 
ico. From  this  circular  basin  in  the  rock,  the  side  of  the 
mountain  is  cut  down  and  levelled  exactly  as  if  it  had  been 
done  in  grading  for  a railroad  for  about  half  a mile,  where 
an  embankment  some  sixty  feet  high  connects  the  two  ad- 
jacent mountains.  From  the  point  where  this  embankment 
strikes  the  second  mountain,  the  side  of  that  is  cut  dowTn 
and  made  perfectly  level,  for  a distance  of  a mile  and  a 
half,  and  with  a width  of  about  thirty  feet.  The  grading 
of  this  mountain  commences  at  a point  about  north-west, 
and  terminates  at  another  point  a little  north  of  east ; thus 
extending  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  circumference  of  the 
mountain,  where  another  embankment  like  the  first  in  ele- 
vation and  construction,  begins  and  extends  through  the 
plain  to  the  distant  mountains,  which,  as  I was  informed, 
are  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  off.  I walked  on  it  for 
more  than  a mile,  and  judging  as  I did  only  from  the  eye, 
I thought  that  the  distance  was  quite  as  great  as  my  guide 
said  it  was.  There  is  an  aqueduct  placed  upon  the  level 
thus  made  by  the  embankments,  and  cutting  down  the 
mountains  the  whole  distance  from  the  basin  in  the  rock  to 
the  distant  mountains,  whence  the  water  was  brought. 
This  aqueduct  is  formed  of  a very  hard  plaster,  made  of 
lime  and  small  portions  of  a soft  red  stone.  It  is  about  two 
feet  wide,  and  has  a trough  in  the  centre  about  ten  inches 
wide.  This  trough  is  covered  with  a convex  piece  of  the 
same  plaster,  which  being  placed  upon  it  when  the  plaster 


CHAP.  XIV.]  EXTRAORDINARY  RUIN.  145 

was  soft,  seems  to  be  all  one  piece,  making  together  a tube 
of  ten  inches  in  diameter,  through  which  the  water  flowed 
from  the  distant  mountains  to  the  basin  which  it  enters 
through  a round  hole  about  the  size  of  one  made  with  a 
two-inch  auger.  No  plasterer  of  the  present  day  can  con- 
struct a more  beautiful  piece  of  work ; it  is  in  its  whole 
extent  as  smooth  as  the  plastering  on  a well-finished  wall, 
and  is  as  hard  as  stone.  I have  a piece  of  it  now  in  my 
house  which  I took  from  the  aqueduct.  Very  often  for  the 
distance  of  many  yards  these  pipes  are  perfect,  and  would 
hold  water  as  well  as  they  did  the  day  that  they  were  con- 
structed. No  one  can  say  for  how  many  hundreds  of 
years  they  have  been  exposed  to  the  weather ; from  all 
appearances,  these  pipes  made  of  lime  will  endure  as  long 
as  the  native  rocks  of  the  mountains  upon  which  they  are 
placed.  Near  the  basin  are  the  walls  of  a small  house, 
rudely  constructed  of  unhewn  stone,  and  steps  to  ascend 
the  mountain.  With  that  exception,  there  is  no  vestige  of 
human  habitation  or  workmanship  near  it.  For  what  use 
was  this  cyclopean  work  intended  ? It  could  not  have  been 
to  water  the  city  of  Tezcuco,  for  that  stands  in  the  plain 
below ; and  its  site  is  not  so  elevated  as  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  and  all  the  labor  of  cutting  down  the  two  moun- 
tains, and  throwing  up  the  embankments  for  so  many  miles, 
was  wholly  useless.  But  what  is  still  more  conclusive,  the 
work  terminates  at  the  basin ; it  is  not  continued  a foot 
farther.  It  is  called  Montezuma’s  bath,  as  nine-tenths  of 
the  antiquities  of  the  country  bear  his  name — but  Monte- 
zuma had  about  as  much  to  do  with  it  as  I had  ; it  would 
be  a gigantic  work  if  designed  to  water  any  city  in  the 
United  States  or  in  Europe.  It  is  a work  very  nearly  or 
quite  equal  in  the  labor  required  for  its  construction  to  the 
8 


146 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIV. 


Croton  Aqueduct.  Could  it  have  been  a bath,  and  for  the 
use  of  an  individual  ? Hardly,  I think.  The  only  conjec- 
ture left  us  is,  that  it  was  in  some  way  connected  with  the 
religious  rites  of  those  who  constructed  it,  as  I have  little 
doubt  the  pyramids  were  also. 

Extraordinary  as  this  work  certainly  is  in  itself,  and  the 
reflections  to  which  it  gives  rise,  it  is  unaccountable  that 
it  should  have  escaped  the  notice  of  all  who  have  given  us 
accounts  of  the  other  antiquities  of  Mexico.  I find  not  a 
word  about  it  in  Humboldt,  and  what  is  still  more  remark- 
able, Clavigero,  himself  a Mexican,  and  a man  of  learning 
and  great  research,  has  not  noticed  in,  neither  Cortes,  nor 
Bernal  Diaz,  nor  any  other  of  the  conquerors  ; and  there  it 
is,  not  in  a remote  department,  but  within  twenty  miles  of 
;the  city  of  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Scientific  Institutions — Mineria— Academy  of  Fine  Arts— Absence  of  Be- 
nevolent Institutions — Health  of  the  Climate — Freedom  from  Intempe- 
rance—Fruits— Education  of  the  Common  People. 

Humboldt,  who  visited  Mexico  in  1804,  says  that  the 
scientific  institutions  of  the  city  of  Mexico  were  at  that  time 
equal  if  not  superior  to  those  of  the  United  States.  I 
am  disposed  to  think  that  La  Guera  Rodriguez,  the  beauti- 
ful lady  who  enchanted  him  so  much,  was  not  the  only 
thing  in  Mexico  which  he  saw  couleur  du  rose.  The  only 
institution  of  any  character  in  the  city  is  the  Mineria — the 
College  of  Mines,  as  its  name  implies.  The  building  itself 
is  altogether  magnificent.  It  is  very  spacious,  and  built  of 
hewn  stone  in  the  most  perfect  architecture.  When  that  is 
said  nearly  all  is  said  which  can  be  said  with  truth.  The 
professorships  are  very  few,  chiefly  those  connected  with 
physical  science,  and  the  chairs  filled  by  persons  of  ex- 
tremely moderate  attainments.  The  philosophical  appara- 
tus is  altogether  contemptible ; and  what  is  still  more 
remarkable,  the  mineralogical  collection  is  very  small,  and 
contains  nothing  at  all  remarkable.  General  Tornel,  the  Pre- 
sident, is,  as  I have  always  said,  an  accomplished  man  and  an 
• elegant  writer.  But  his  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  the 
excitement  and  bustle  of  politics,  and  of  Mexican  politics, 
and  it  is  altogether  impossible  that  his  scientific  attainments 
can  be  even  respectable  with  reference  to  the  position  which 
he  occupies. 


148 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XV. 


The  University,  which  was  founded  in  1531,  is  in  a de- 
clining condition,  if  indeed  it  is  not  already  extinct.  There 
are  some  other  colleges  as  they  are  called,  but  they  are 
scarcely  respectable  primary  schools. 

The  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  is,  I think,  very  much  below 
the  college  of  the  Mineria.  There  are  some  very  good 
casts  in  plaster  of  the  most  celebrated  works  in  statuary, 
and  a great  many  very  inferior  paintings.  There  is  not  in 
all  Mexico  even  a tolerable  portrait  painter. 

One  would  suppose  that  in  the  dogged  resolution  which 
they  seem  to  have  formed,  not  to  advance  in  anything  with 
the  age  in  which  they  live,  that  an  exception  would  have 
been  found  in  the  matter  of  coinage  of  the  precious  metals 
in  which  their  country  abounds,  and  with  which  they  con- 
tribute so  much  to  the  currency  of  the  world — but  it  is  not 
so.  The  process  is,  in  almost  every  particular,  the  same 
that  it  was  at  the  period  of  the  conquest.  They  have  not 
even  a steam-engine  in  the  mint  in  the  city  of  Mexico, 
which  has  doubtless  coined  far  more  of  the  precious  metals 
than  any  other  in  the  world. 

There  are  scarcely  any  of  those  charitable  institutions  to 
which  we  are  accustomed  in  all  our  principal  cities.  There 
are  more  of  these,  I have  no  doubt,  in  either  of  the  cities  of 
Boston  or  Philadelphia  than  in  Mexico. 

There  was  something  like  an  asylum  for  the  insane — but 
during  my  residence  in  Mexico,  General  Valencia,  under 
some  claim  which  he  set  up  to  the  ground  and  building, 
turned  all  the  lunatics  into  the  streets,  as  I was  informed. 

There  is  a very  large  and  well-arranged  Hospital,  which 
was  founded  by  Cortes  out  of  his  own  private  funds — the 
Hospital  of  Jesus.  Until  a very  few  years  past  his  bones 
were  deposited  there,  as  he  directed  in  his  will ; but  they 
have  been  carried  to  Naples  by  the  Duke  of  Monteleone, 


CHAP.  XV.] 


HEALTH  OF  THE  CLIMATE. 


149 


the  only  branch  of  the  family  of  the  Conqueror  of  Mexico 
which  is  not  now  extinct.  I was  told  in  Mexico  that  he 
purchased  these  remains  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
—if  as  an  act  of  filial  piety,  it  was  a most  mistaken 
one.  I have  also  heard  that  in  the  frequent  ementes  of  the 
Mexican  populace,  and  their  rage  against  the  gachupines 
(European  Spaniards),  that  the  tomb  of  Cortes  was  in  dan- 
ger of  being  desecrated,  and  that  it  was  on  that  account 
that  his  bones  have  been  removed. 

There  is,  however,  scarcely  any  other  city  where 
charitable  institutions  are  so  little  needed.  I have  never 
seen  a population  where  congenital  deformities  are  so  rare 
as  in  Mexico,  and  I am  sure  I saw  nearly  all  which  existed. 
Mendicity  is  not  forbidden,  and  any  serious  deformity  is,  as 
far  as  a security  for  subsistence  is  concerned,  a rare  good 
fortune,  and  they  are  sure  to  make  the  most  of  it. 

Blindness  is  not  uncommon,  resulting,  I suppose,  from 
the  extreme  rarity  of  the  air  in  that  elevated  region.  I was 
surprised  to  hear,  mild  and  equable  as  the  climate  is,  that 
from  the  same  reason  which  I have  just  mentioned,  it  is 
fatal  in  all  pulmonary  affections.  Although  there  is  not 
perhaps  in  the  world  a healthier  region  than  the  table-lands 
of  Mexico,  their  bills  of  mortality  (if  they  had  any  such 
thing,  which  they  have  not,  or  statistics  of  any  kind)  would 
exhibit  very  few  cases  of  remarkable  longevity.  On  the 
contrary,  I think  that  the  Mexicans  are  a remarkably  short- 
lived race.  This  must  result  from  climate  alone.  They 
indulge  less  in  excesses  of  any  kind  than  almost  any  other 
people.  If  I may  judge  from  what  I myself  saw  I should 
say  that  in  the  use  of  spirits  no  people  are  more  temperate. 
The  Spaniards  are  characteristically  so  everywhere,  and 
they  constitute  almost  exclusively  the  better  classes.  The 
lower  classes  are  restrained  by  the  laws ; drunkenness 


150 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[CHAP.  XV. 


being  there,  as  it  should  be  everywhere,  punishable  as  a 
misdemeanor-  I am  sure  that  during  my  residence  in 
Mexico  I did  not  see  a dozen  men  drunk,  and  I have  seen 
assemblies  of  fifty  and  a hundred  thousand  people  with- 
out one  case  of  drunkenness.  As  to  intemperance  amongst 
respectable  people,  it  is  almost  unknown.  There  is,  it  is 
true,  a single  exception,  and  that  of  a very  distinguished 
man,  and  that  may  be  the  reason,  amongst  others,  that  he 
has  not  attained  the  highest  distinction  in  his  country.  It  is 
very  rarely  that  you  will  see  a Mexican  gentleman  drink 
anything  stronger  than  claret  wine,  an  immense  quantity  of 
which  is  sold  there.  They  are  equally  temperate  in  eat- 
ing ; the  lower  classes  because  they  cannot  get  the  means 
of  indulgence.  Although  the  grass  is  green  the  year  round, 
and  from  the  sparseness  of  the  population,  one  would  sup- 
pose every  man  would  be  able  to  own  his  small  farm  and 
stock  of  cattle — yet  it  is  not  so.  The  lands  of  the  country 
belong  to  a few  large  proprietors,  some  of  whom  own  tracts 
of  eighty  and  one  hundred  leagues  square,  with  herds  of 
sixty  and  eighty  thousand  head  of  cattle  grazing  upon  them, 
whilst  the  Indian  laborers  upon  these  farms  rarely  have 
meat'enough. 

I question  very  much  if  there  is  any  population  in  Europe, 
not  even  the  Irish  or  the  French,  who  eat  less  meat  than 
the  Mexicans  ; but  there  is  certainly  no  country  where 
extreme  poverty  brings  with  it  so  few  sufferings.  The 
climate  is  so  mild,  that  clothing  of  any  sort  is  only  required 
for  decency,  not  for  comfort.  The  constant  succession  of 
fruits  of  every  variety  is,  in  itself,  a resource  which  few  other 
countries  offer.  It  is  not  uncommon  that  one  of  those  large 
estates,  of  which  I have  spoken,  furnishes  a climate  in 
which  every  vegetable  production  will  not  only  grow,  but 
which  is  perfectly  congenial  to  its  growth,  the  lowlands 


CHAP.  XV.] 


FRUITS. 


151 


producing  all  the  fruits  and  vegetables  of  the  tropics,  and 
the  elevation  gradually  increasing  to  a region  of  perpetual 
snow.  And  then  there  is  the  banana,  so  easily  cultivated  ; 
and  Humboldt  says,  that  the  same  spot  of  ground,  planted 
in  wheat,  which  will  support  one  man,  if  planted  in  the 
banana,  will  support  twenty-five.  Besides  the  aversion  of 
the  Indian  race  to  labor  of  any  sort,  may  not  this  be  the 
great  reason  for  the  universal  indolence  of  the  Mexican 
people  ? It  is  necessity  alone  which,  generally  speaking, 
forces  men  to  toil ; and  that  which  is  true  of  individuals  is 
true  of  nations,  which  are  but  the  aggregations  of  indivi- 
duals. The  great  mass  of  the  population  of  Mexico  have 
no  inducement  to  labor  as  we  do,  for  all  they  desire  is  a 
mere  subsistence,  and  the  bounties  of  Nature  supply  them 
with  that ; and  as  to  any  of  those  honorable  aspirations  to 
better  their  condition  and  advance  themselves  in  life,  they 
are  as  ignorant  as  the  cattle  which  graze  their  wide  plains 
and  die. 

The  apples  and  peaches  of  Mexico  are  not  good,  the 
latter  decidedly  inferior.  The  pears  are  very  fine.  They 
have  one  species  of  this  fruit  which  is  decidedly  the  best 
that  I have  ever  seen ; it  is  nearly  the  size  of  a goose-egg, 
and  its  flavor  as  delicious  as  that  of  the  famous  Philadelphia 
pear.  All  the  fruits  of  the  tropics — the  orange,  pine-apple, 
banana,  mango,  cherimoya,  and  last  and  least  in  size,  but 
most  exquisite  in  flavor,  the  tuna — are  produced  in  Mexico 
in  great  perfection.  I have  nowhere  eaten  a fruit  more 
refreshing  and  delicious  than  the  tuna.  It  is  the  produce 
of  one  of  the  infinite  varieties  of  the  cactus,  of  which  I have 
seen  twenty  different  varieties  growing  on  an  acre  of  land. 
One  of  these  varieties  runs  up  to  the  height  of  thirty  or  forty 
feet,  in  the  form  of  a beautifully-fluted  column,  and  is  used 
to  enclose  gardens,  by  planting  close  together.  That 


152 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XV. 


which  produces  the  tuna  grows  to  the  height  of  thirty  feet, 
and  covers  an  area  of  twenty  feet  in  circumference,  with 
the  leaves  (if  leaves  they  may  be  called)  dropping  over 
each  other  like  the  shingles  of  a house.  These  leaves  are 
exactly  like  those  of  the  prickly  pear  on  our  mountains, 
only  larger,  generally  of  twelve  or  eighteen  inches  in 
breadth.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size,  and  very  much  the 
shape,  of  a duck’s  egg.  The  combined  flavors  of  a water- 
melon, a cucumber,  and  a lump  of  sugar  candy,  will  give 
some  idea  of  this  delicious  and  refreshing  fruit,  as  it  melts 
in  the  mouth.  The  cherimoya  is  a large  fruit,  and  is  alto- 
gether delicious.  The  idea  which  occurs  to  every  one  on 
eating  it  for  the  first  time  is,  that  it  is  a vegetable  custard. 
I scarcely  ever  offered  it  to  an  American  who  did  not 
make  that  comparison,  thinking  th&t  he  had  said  an  original 
and  smart  thing  ; but  I had  heard  it  before  at  least  a hun- 
dred times.  They  have  a fruit  very  much  like  what  we 
call  the  “ May-apple,”  which  abounds,  I believe,  in  every 
part  of  the  United  States.  It  is  of  the  same  size,  and  the 
flower  has  all  the  peculiarities  of  the  passion-flower.  The 
fruit  itself  is  precisely  the  same,  except  that  it  has  a yellow 
rind,  not  unlike  that  of  a lemon.  It  does  not  grow  on  a 
vine  running  on  the  ground,  like  our  May-apple,  or  May- 
cock,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  but  upon  one  more  like  a 
grape-vine. 

I will  close  this  somewhat  heterogeneous  melange  of 
Mexican  scientific  and  literary  institutions,  fruits,  idle  and 
ignorant  leperos,  &c.,  with  a notice  of  a thing  which  struck 
me  very  forcibly.  I had  not  a servant  during  my  resi- 
dence in  Mexico  who  did  not  read  and  write — neither  very 
well,  it  is  true,  but  quite  as  well,  or  better,  than  the  same 
class  in  this  country.  I often  observed  the  most  ragged 
leperos,  as  they  walked  down  the  streets,  reading  the  signs 


CHAP.  XV.] 


EDUCATION. 


153 


over  the  store  doors.  How  this  happens,  I know  not,  un- 
less it  be  the  effect  of  Lancasterian  schools,  which  are 
established  all  over  the  country,  chiefly,  I think,  through 
the  instrumentality  and  exertions  of  General  Tornel — a no- 
ble charity,  which  should  of  itself  cover  a multitude  of  sins 
much  greater  than  those  which  even  his  enemies  impute  to 
him. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


- Diplomatic  Position  upon  entering  Mexico — Fellow  Travellers — Friend- 
ship with  Englishmen — Aversion  of  Englishmen  to  General  Jackson. 

When  I first  arrived  in  Mexico,  it  was  very  manifest  that 
I was  regarded  with  distrust  and  dislike.  This  was  in 
some  degree  owing  to  the  impression  which  existed  not 
only  with  the  government  but  the  people  generally,  that  my 
mission  had  a special  reference  to  the  American  citizens 
who  accompanied  the  Santa  Fe  expedition,  and  who  were 
then  confined  in  Mexico  ; but  still  more  to  the  active 
part  which  I had  taken  as  a member  of  Congress  on  the 
question  of  the  recognition  by  our  government  of  the  inde- 
pendence of  Texas.  In  a speech  upon  that  question  I made 
a good  many  disparaging  allusions  to  Mexico,  all  of  which 
were  known  there.  I had  also  moved  the  resolutions  two 
or  three  days  before  the  adjournment  of  Congress  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1837,  which  secured  that  recognition,  at  a 
most  critical  period  of  the  affairs  of  Texas,  as  an  amend- 
ment to  the  appropriation  bill.  I was  of  course  regarded 
in  Mexico  as  the  enemy  of  the  country,  and  the  general 


CHAP.  XVI.] 


DIPLOMATIC  POSITION. 


155 


opinion  was  that  I had  been  sent  there  for  the  purpose  of 
causing  a rupture  between  the  two  governments,  to 
give  us  the  right  to  enter  into  and  terminate  the  war 
between  Texas  and  Mexico.  The  next  day  after  my  arri- 
val, a gentleman  connected  with  the  government  inquired 
(evidently  for  a purpose)  of  an  American  in  Mexico 
whether  I had  brought  my  family,  and  when  told  that  I had 
not,  he  again  asked  when  they  were  to  come.  I am  satis- 
fied that  if  my  family  had  accompanied  me,  it  would  have 
indicated  a purpose,  and  a confidence  of  remaining  there 
for  some  time,  which  would  have  had  an  injurious  effect. 
My  predecessor  had  demanded  the  release  of  Mr.  Kendall 
and  three  other  Americans,  who  had  accompanied  the 
Sante  Fe  expedition  about  the  middle  of  February,  1842, 
and  had  received  a peremptory  refusal ; and  thus  matters 
stood  until  my  arrival  in  Mexico.  I landed  at  Vera  Cruz 
on  the  10th  of  April,  and  arrived  in  Mexico  on  the  16th. 
On  the  14th  of  April,  Mr.  Ellis  received  a promise  from  the 
minister  for  foreign  affairs,  of  the  release  of  these  prisoners. 
Although  I had  not  at  that  time  arrived  in  Mexico,  I have 
no  doubt  that  my  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz  was  known  to  the 
government.  Couriers  between  the  two  places  are  con- 
stantly employed  by  the  government,  and  so  important  an 
event  as  the  arrival  of  a new  minister  from  the  United 
States,  in  the  then  existing  state  of  our  relations,  would,  as 
a matter  of  course,  be  reported  at  the  earliest  moment.  And 
whilst  I say  in  all  candor,  and  it  is  no  more  than  justice  to 
say,  that  Mr.  Ellis  had  done  everything  which  in  his  situa- 
tion I could  have  done ; yet  I have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Ken- 
dall and  his  companions  owed  their  release  neither  to  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Ellis  nor  myself,  but  to  a certain  prestige 
which  I carried  with  me  from  the  circumstances  to  which 
I have  adverted.  Indeed  I was  informed  by  a distinguished 


156 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XVI. 


member  of  the  diplomatic,  corps  that  he  knew  that  the 
Mexican  cabinet  were  very  apprehensive  about  the  matter, 
and  anxious  for  some  honorable  escape  from  the  false  posi- 
tion in  which  they  had  placed  themselves.  Mr.  Kendall 
and  three  others  were  released  to  Mr.  Ellis  upon  his  appli- 
cation on  his  audience  of  leave.  There  were  three  others 
whose  cases  I thought  were  in  all  material  respects  the 
same,  but  Mr.  Ellis  thought  differently — and  could  not  con- 
scientiously, and  therefore  did  not,  demand  their  release. 
Immediately,  however,  after  my  presentation,  I brought  the 
matter  to  the  notice  of  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs, 
and  he  sent  me  an  order  for  their  release,  without  any  dis- 
cussion whatever  of  the  merits  of  their  cases.  I have  rarely 
seen  three  so  happy  men.  The  release  of  their  com- 
panions and  refusal  to  discharge  them  had,  as  may  be  sup- 
posed, deprived  them  of  all  hope,  and  their  delight  on  being 
so  unexpectedly  relieved  from  such  a state  of  despair  can- 
not well  be  imagined. 

I would  mention  here  a circumstance  which  annoyed  me 
not  a little.  A few  days  before  my  arrival  at  Puebla,  two 
of  the  Texians  who  had  been  confined  there  made  their 
escape,  Major  Howard  and  another  whose  name  I have  for- 
gotten. They  were  secreted  by  an  Englishwoman  at 
great  peril  to  herself ; when  one  of  her  friends  asked  her 
why  she  had  done  so  imprudent  a thing,  and  added,  they 
are  not  Englishmen,  she  replied,  that  she  knew  they  were 
not,  but  that  they  had  white  skins  and  spoke  the  English 
language.  The  Mexican  officers  of  all  grades  were  every- 
where on  the  lookout  for  the  refugees.  They  very  wisely 
determined  not  to  take  the  route  to  Vera  Cruz  where  they 
would  be  expected,  but  to  go  to  Mexico,  for  nowhere  is 
concealment  so  easy  as  in  a large  city.  I had  heard  of 
the  escape  of  two  of  the  prisoners,  and  as  soon  as  it  was 


CHAP.  XVI.] 


FRIENDSHIP  WITH  ENGLISHMEN. 


157 


daylight  I at  once  recognized  them  as  my  fellow-passengers 
in  the  stage,  and  a Mexican  captain  was  another.  One  of 
the  Texians,  a fine  looking  and  striking  young  man,  whose 
person  and  bearing  at  once  bespoke  his  race  and  country, 
was  less  cautious  than  Major  Howard,  an  old  Indian  war- 
rior. He  talked  a great  deal,  and  all  about  Texas.  I found 
myself  in  the  same  stage  with  these  Texians,  in  the  worst 
possible  odor  with  the  Mexicans  on  account  of  my  well- 
known  feelings  towards  Mexico,  and  about  to  make  my 
entry  into  Mexico  under  such  circumstances.  If  they  had 
been  discovered,  it  would  have  been  in  vain  to  have  denied 
my  knowledge  of  them  or  participation  in  their  plan  of 
escape.  They  were  not,  however,  suspected,  and  got  out 
of  the  stage  before  it  arrived  in  Mexico,  and  never,  I am 
sure,  was  I so  much  rejoiced  to  be  rid  of  two  as  agreeable 
companions. 

The  generous  and  honorable  sentiment  so  well  expressed 
by  the  Englishwoman  of  Puebla  leads  me  to  remark  that 
my  residence  in  Mexico  furnished  me  more  evidences  than 
one,  of  the  powerful  sympathy  of  race.  Even  the  re- 
vengeful character  of  the  Spaniard  yields  to  it.  Notwith- 
standing the  recent  termination  of  the  fierce  and  sanguinary 
civil  war  wThich  has  raged  between  Mexico  and  the  mother 
country,  no  other  people  are  so  favorably  regarded  by  the 
Mexicans  as  the  Spaniards.  And  I can  say  with  truth, 
that  I never  met  an  Englishman  there  that  I did  not  feel  the 
full  force  of  “ the  white  skin  and  the  English  language” — and 
I had  no  cause  to  believe  that  the  same  feeling  was  not 
entertained  towards  me  by  the  English  gentlemen  in  Mexi- 
co ; and  why,  in  God’s  name,  should  it  be  otherwise  ? I 
would  not  sell  “ for  the  seas’  worth,”  my  share  of  the  glory 
of  my  English  ancestry,  Milton,  Shakspeare  and  John 
Hampden,  and  those  noble  old  barons  who  met  King  John 


158 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XVI. 


at  Runnymede  ; and  on  the  other  hand,  Englishmen  should 
have  a just  pride  in  the  prosperity  and  greatness  of  our 
country.  In  the  beautiful  language  of  a highly  gifted  and 
liberal  minded  Englishman,  Mr.  Charles  Augustus  Murray, 
“ whether  we  view  the  commercial  enterprise  of  America 
or  her  language,  her  love  of  freedom,  parochial,  legal  or 
civil  institutions,  she  bears  indelible  marks  of  her  origin  ; 
she  is  and  must  continue  the  mighty  daughter  of  a mighty 
parent,  and  although  emancipated  from  maternal  control, 
the  affinities  of  race  remain  unaltered.  Her  disgrace  must 
dishonor  their  common  ancestry,  and  her  greatness  and 
renown  should  gratify  the  parental  pride  of  Britain.” 
Accursed  be  the  vile  demagogue  who  would  wantonly 
excite  another  and  fratricidal  war  between  the  two  greatest 
and  only  free  countries  of  the  earth  ! 

I should  not  satisfy  my  own  feelings  if  I were  not  to 
notice  here  the  circle  of  English  merchants,  who  reside  in 
Mexico.  I have  nowhere  met  a worthier  set  of  gentlemen 
—enlightened,  hospitable  and  generous.  I can  with  great 
truth  say,  that  the  most  pleasant  hours  which  I passed  in 
Mexico  were  in  their  society,  and  I shall  never  cease  to  re- 
member them  with  kindness  and  respect.  I now  and  then 
met  with  a little  of  the  John  Bull  jealousy  of  this  country, 
but  I playfully  told  them  that  I could  pardon  that, — that  it 
was  altogether  natural,  for  that  the  English  flag  had  waved 
on  every  sea  and  continent  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  and  that 
for  the  last  thousand  years  it  had  rarely,  if  ever,  been 
lowered  to  an  equal  force,  except  in  conflicts  with  us, 
where  its  fate  had  always  been  to  come  down.  I believe 
that  I may  say  that  their  greatest  objection  to  me  was,  that 
I was  rather  too  fond  of  talking  of  General  Jackson  and 
New  Orleans.  There  is  no  single  name  which  an  English- 
man so  little  likes  to  hear  as  that  of  General  Jackson,  and 


CHAP.  XVI.] 


AVERSION  OF  ENGLISHMEN. 


159 


none  so  grateful  to  the  ears  of  an  American  in  a foreign 
land,  only  excepting  that  of  Washington.  I do  not  doubt 
that  it  will  be  known  and  remembered  long  after  that  of 
every  other  American  who  has  gone  before  him,  except 
Washington  and  Franklin,  is  swallowed  up  in  the  vortex  of 
oblivion.  I have  been  the  political  opponent  of  General 
Jackson,  and  should  be  so  now  upon  the  same  questions.  I 
believe  that  he  committed  some  very  great  errors,  but  that 
he  did  all  in  honor  and  patriotism.  I have  at  the  same 
time  always  had  a just  admiration  for  his  many  great 
qualities  and  glorious  achievements,  and  I should  pity  the 
American  who  could  hear  his  name  mentioned  in  a foreign 
land  without  feeling  his  pulse  beat  higher. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Kindness  and  Courtesy— Society  of  Dinner  Parties  and  Entertainments — 
Mexican  Ladies  wanting  in  Beauty— Do  not  dance  well— Charity- 
Routine  of  daily  Life — Costliness  of  Dress— In  the  Streets — Women  gene- 
rally Smoke — A day  in  the  Country. 

Notwithstanding  the  general  prejudice  which  existed  in 
Mexico  against  me  when  I first  went  there,  I was  treated, 
although  somewhat  coldly,  always  and  by  all  classes  with 
the  most  perfect  respect.  In  this  particular  the  higher 
classes  of  all  countries  are  very  much  alike,  but  I doubt 
whether  there  is  any  other  country  where  the  middling  and 
lower  classes  are  so  generally  courteous  and  polite.  There 
is  no  country  where  kindness  and  courtesy  are  more  certain 
to  meet  with  a proper  return.  It  may  be  that  three  hun- 
dred years  of  vassalage  to  their  Spanish  masters  may  have 
given  the  Indian  population  an  habitual  deference  and 
respect  for  a race  which  they  have  always  regarded  as  a 
superior  one.  No  people  are  by  nature  more  social,  none 
less  so  in  their  habits.  It  is  not  the  fashion  to  give  entertain- 
ments of  any  sort.  And  what  I regarded  as  a little  re- 
markable, the  members  of  the  Mexican  cabinet,  most  of 
whom  were  men  of  fortune  and  had  ample  means  at  hand, 
not  only  never  gave  entertainments,  even  dinner  parties  to 
the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  but  never  even 
invited  them  to  their  houses, — when  invited  to  such  parties 
however  by  any  of  the  foreign  ministers,  they  never  failed 
to  accept  the  invitation.  With  any  other  people  there 


CHAP.  XVII.J  DINNER  PARTIES  AND  ENTERTAINMENTS.  161 

would  be  a seeming  meanness  in  this.  But  such  was  not 
the  case.  No  people  are  more  liberal  in  the  expenditure 
of  money.  General  Santa  Anna  had  two  very  large  din- 
ner parties  whilst  I was  in  Mexico,  and  two  or  three  balls ; 
but  I heard  of  nothing  else  of  the  kind,  except  at  the  houses 
of  the  foreign  ministers.  Santa  Anna’s  dinners  were 
altogether  elegant,  and  he  presided  at  them  with  great 
dignity  and  propriety.  On  such  occasions  he  was  joyous 
and  hilarious.  The  company,  without  an  exception,  had 
the  appearance  and  manners  of  gentlemen  ; I sat  next  to 
him  on  these  occasions,  and  his  aides-de-camp,  who  were 
not  seated  at  the  table,  would  occasionally  come  to  his  seat 
and  say  some  playful  thing  to  him.  I was  much  struck 
with  the  style  of  the  intercourse  between  them  ; marked  by 
an  affectionate  kindness  on  his  part,  and  the  utmost  respect, 
but  at  the  same  time  freedom  from  restraint,  upon  theirs. 

His  balls  were  very  numerously  attended.  The  compa- 
ny was  by  no  means  select.  In  fact  I saw  there  very  few 
of  the  ladies  belonging  to  the  aristocracy ; but  very  many 
others  who  had  no  business  there.  This,  however,  is  una- 
voidable in  a revolutionary  country  like  Mexico.  Every 
President  holds  his  power  by  no  other  tenure  than  the  caprice 
of  the  army,  and  he  is  forced,  therefore,  to  conciliate  it. 
If  a corporal,  who  has  married  the  daughter  of  the  washer- 
woman of  the  regiment,  has  risen  to  the  highest  station  in 
the  army,  his  wife  cannot  be  slighted  with  safety — and  such 
cases  have  occurred. 

I wish  that  I could  in  sincerity  say  that  the  ladies  of 
Mexico  are  handsome.  They  are  not,  nor  yet  are  they 
ugly.  Their  manners,  however,  are  perfect ; and  in  the 
great  attributes  of  the  heart,  affection,  kindness,  and  benevo- 
lence in  all  their  forms,  they  have  no  superiors.  They  are 
eminently  graceful  in  everything  but  dancing.  That  does 


162 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XVII. 


not  “ come  by  nature,”  as  we  have  the  authority  of  Dog- 
berry that  reading  and  writing  do ; and  they  are  rarely 
taught  to  dance,  and  still  more  rarely  practise  it. 

I think  that  in  another,  and  the  most  important  point  in 
the  character  of  woman,  they  are  very  much  slandered.  I 
am  quite  sure  that  there  is  no  city  in  Europe  of  the  same 
size  where  there  is  less  immorality.  Indeed,  I cannot  see 
how  such  a thing  is  possible.  Every  house  in  Mexico  has 
but  one  outside  door,  and  a porter  always  at  that.  The  old 
system  of  the  duenna,  and  a constant  espionage,  are  observed 
by  every  one,  and  to  an  extent  that  would  scarcely  be  be- 
lieved. I have  no  doubt,  however,  that  whatever  other 
effects  these  restraints  may  have,  their  moral  influence  is 
not  a good  one.  The  virtue  which  they  secure  is  of  the 
sickly  nature  of  hot-house  plants,  which  wither  and  perish 
when  exposed  to  the  weather.  Women,  instead  of  being 
taught  to  regard  certain  acts  as  impossible  to  be  committed, 
and  therefore  not  apprehended  or  guarded  against,  are 
brought  up  with  an  idea  that  the  temptation  of  opportunity 
is  one  which  is  never  resisted. 

I do  not  think  that  the  ladies  of  Mexico  are  generally 
very  well  educated.  There  are,  however,  some  shining 
exceptions.  Mrs.  Almonte,  the  wife  of  General  Almonte, 
would  be  regarded  as  an  accomplished  lady  in  any  country. 
The  Mexicans,  of  either  sex,  are  not  a reading  people.  The 
ladies  read  very  little. 

The  general  routine  of  female  life  is  to  rise  late,  and  spend 
the  larger  portion  of  the  day  standing  in  their  open  win- 
dows, which  extend  to  the  floor.  It  would  be  a safe  bet  at 
any  hour  of  the  day  between  ten  and  five  o’clock,  that  you 
would  in  walking  the  streets  see  one  or  more  females  stand- 
ing thus  at  the  windows  of  more  than  half  the  houses.  At 
five  they  ride  on  the  Paseo,  and  then  go  to  the  theatre, 


CHAP.  XVII.] 


COSTLINESS  OF  DRESS. 


163 


where  they  remain  until  twelve  o’clock,  and  the  next  day, 
and  every  day  in  the  year,  repeat  the  same  routine.  In 
this  dolce  far  niente  their  whole  lives  pass  away.  But  I re- 
peat that  in  many  of  the  qualities  of  the  heart  which  make 
women  lovely  and  loved,  they  have  no  superiors. 

The  war  of  independence  was  illustrated  with  many  in- 
stances of  female  virtue  of  a romantic  character,  one  of 
which  I will  mention.  And  I again  regret  that  I have  for- 
gotten the  name  of  the  noble  woman  whose  virtue  and  love 
of  country  were  so  severely  tested.  The  lady  to  whom  I 
refer  had  two  sons,  each  of  whom  was  in  command  of  a 
detachment  of  the  patriot  army.  One  of  them  was  made 
prisoner,  and  the  Spanish  General  into  whose  hands  he  had 
fallen,  sent  for  his  mother  and  said  to  her,  “If  you  will  in- 
duce your  other  son  to  surrender  his  army  to  me,  I will 
spare  the  life  of  the  one  who  is  my  prisoner.”  Her  instant 
reply  was,  “ No  ! I will  not  purchase  the  life  of  one  son  with 
the  dishonor  of  another  and  the  ruin  of  my  country.”  This 
fact  is  historic,  and  is  more  true  than  history  generally  is. 

The  ladies  of  Mexico  dress  with  great  extravagance, 
and  I suppose  a greater  profusion  of  “ pearl  and  gold” — I 
will  not  say  more  barbaric — than  in  any  other  country.  I 
remember  that  at  a ball  at  the  President’s,  Mr.  Bocanegra 
asked  me  what  I thought  of  the  Mexican  ladies  ; were  they 
as  handsome  as  my  own  countrywomen?  I of  course 
avoided  answering  the  question  ; I told  him,  however,  that 
they  were  very  graceful,  and  dressed  much  finer  than  our 
ladies.  He  said  he  supposed  so,  and  then  asked  me  what  I 
thought  the  material  of  the  dresses  of  two  ladies  which  he 
pointed  out  had  cost ; and  then  told  me  that  he  had  hap- 
pened to  hear  his  wife  and  daughters  speaking  of  them,  and 
that  the  material  of  the  dresses,  blonde,  I think,  had  cost 
one  thousand  dollars  each.,  I asked  on  the  same  occasion, 


164 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XVII. 


a friend  of  mine  who  was  a merchant,  what  he  sup- 
posed was  the  cost  of  an  ornament  for  the  head  thickly  set 
with  diamonds  of  the  Senora  A.  G.  He  told  me  that  he 
knew  very  well  for  he  had  imported  it  for  her,  and  that  the 
price  was  twenty-five  thousand  dollars ; she  wore  other 
diamonds  and  pearls  no  doubt  of  equal  value. 

I have  said  that  there  are  very  rarely  if  ever  anything 
like  evening  parties,  or  tertullias  ; social  meetings,  or  calls 
to  spend  an  evening  are  quite  as  unusual,  except  among 
very  near  relations,  and  even  then  the  restraint  and  espio- 
nage are  not  at  all  relaxed.  Persons  who  have  seen  each 
other,  and  been  attached  for  years,  often  meet  at  the  altar 
without  ever  having  spent  half  an  hour  in  each  other’s 
company.  Ladies  of  the  better  classes  never  walk  the 
streets  except  on  one  day  in  the  year,  the  day  before  Good 
Friday,  I believe  it  is.  But  they  make  the  most  of  this 
their  saturnalia  ; on  that  day  all  the  fashionable  streets  are 
crowded  with  them,  in  their  best  “ bibs  and  tuckers,”  and 
glittering  in  diamonds. 

The  streets  are  always,  however,  swarming  with  women 
of  the  middling  and  lower  classes.  The  only  articles  of 
dress  worn  by  these  are  a chemise  and  petticoat,  satin  slip- 
pers, but  no  stockings,  and  a rebozo,  a long  shawl  impro- 
perly called  by  our  ladies,  a mantilla.  This  they  wear  over 
the  head  and  wrapped  close  around  the  chin,  and  thrown 
over  the  left  shoulder.  Whatever  they  may  be  in  private, 
no  people  can  be  more  observant  of  propriety  in  public  ; 
one  may  walk  the  streets  of  Mexico  for  a year,  and  he  will 
not  see  a wanton  gesture  or  look  on  the  part  of  a female 
of  any  description,  with  the  single  exception,  that  if  you 
meet  a woman  with  a fine  bust,  which  they  are  very  apt 
to  have,  she  finds  some  occasion  to  adjust  her  rebozo,  and 


CHAP.  XVII.] 


A DAY  IN  THE  COUNTRY. 


165 


throws  it  open  for  a second.  This  reboza  answers  all  the 
purposes  of  shawl,  bonnet,  and  frock-body. 

The  women  of  Mexico,  I think,  generally  smoke ; it  is 
getting  to  be  regarded  as  not  exactly  comme  il  faut , and 
therefore  they  do  it  privately.  As  the  men  generally 
smoke,  they  have  the  advantage  which  Dean  Swift  recom- 
mends to  all  who  eat  onions,  to  make  their  sweethearts  do 
so  too. 

One  of  the  favorite  and  most  pleasant  recreations  of  the 
Mexicans  is  what  they  call  un  dia  de  campo , a day  in  the 
country.  A p,arty  is  made  up  to  spend  the  day  at  Tacu- 
baya,  or  some  other  of  the  neighboring  villages,  or  at 
some  house  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  where  a dinner  is 
prepared,  and  a band  of  music  sent  out ; and  the  day  and 
a large  portion  of  the  night  spent  in  dancing.  Never  have 
I seen  a more  joyous  and  hilarious  people  than  they  are  on 
these  occasions. 

I shall  never  forget  one  of  these  parties  which  was  given 
to  General  Almonte,  just  before  he  left  Mexico  on  his  mis- 
sion to  this  country.  It  was  a genuine,  roistering,  country 
frolic.  We  got  into  boats,  and  with  the  music  playing, 
were  rowed  for  some  distance  by  moonlight,  in  the  canal 
which  terminates  in  the  Lake  of  Chaleo,  and  then  amongst 
the  Chinampas  or  floating  gardens,  which  are  now  nothing 
more  than  shaking  bogs.  The  very  thin  stratum  of  soil 
which  had  formed  on  the  water  of  the  Lake  is  made  more 
unsteady,  when  a small  space  of  an  acre  or  two  is  sur- 
rounded by  a canal.  There  are  now  none  of  the  floating 
gardens  described  by  the  conquerors,  which  were  formed 
by  artificial  means,  and  moved  about  from  one  part  of  the 
lake  to  another. . 

The  men  who  are  met  in  the  street,  are  almost 
exclusively  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  army,  priests 


166  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XVII. 

and  leperos,  the  latter  quite  as  useful,  and  much  the  least 
burdensome  and  pernicious  of  the  three  classes.  The 
Mexicans  of  the  better  classes  generally  wear  cloth  cloaks 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  the  Indians  blankets  ; for 
ornament,  I suppose,  for  the  weather  is  never  cold  enough 
to  make  either  necessary.  One  thing,  however,  I could 
never  account  for,  I did  not  feel  uncomfortably  cold  in  a 
linen  coat,  nor  uncomfortably  warm  with  my  cloak  on. 
All  the  physical  peculiarities  of  the  Indians  of  Mexico  are 
precisely  the  same  as  those  of  our  own  Indians  ; they  are, 
however,  much  smaller.  Their  appearance  is  very  much 
the  same  in  all  respects  as  those  of  the  straggling  Indians 
who  are  seen  about  our  cities  ; nothing  of  the  elastic  step 
and  proud  bearing  of  our  natives  of  the  forest.  Such  a 
noble  looking  fellow  as  the  Seminole  Chief,  Wild  Cat, 
would  create  a sensation  there ; he  might  possibly  get  up 
a pronunciamento — I have  no  doubt  he  would  attempt  it. 
In  a word,  I am  by  no  means  sure  that  in  exchanging  the 
peculiar  civilisation  which  existed  in  the  time  of  Monte- 
zuma for  that  which  the  Spaniards  gave  them,  that  they 
have  improved  the  condition  of  the  masses ; they  have  lost 
little  of  the  former  but  its  virtues,  and  acquired  little  of  the 
latter  but  its  vices.  I have  already  remarked  that,  although 
there  are  no  political  distinctions  amongst  the  various 
castes  of  the  population  of  Mexico,  that  the  social  distinc- 
tions are  very  marked.  At  one  of  those  large  assemblies 
at  the  President’s  palace,  it  is  very  rare  to  see  a lady  whose 
color  indicates  any  impurity  of  blood.  The  same  remark 
is,  to  a great  extent,  true  of  the  gentlemen,  but  there  are  a 
good  many  exceptions. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Congress  of  Deputies — Patriotism — The  Army — Undisciplined  Troops — 
The  Lasso,  an  Instrument  of  Warfare — Mexican  and  American  Cavalry 
— Mode  of  Recruiting  the  Army — Texian  conflicts  with  the  Mexicans. 

The  Congress  of  Deputies  is  a highly  respectable  looking 
body.  I have  seen  no  similar  body  anywhere  superior  in 
this  respect,  or  which  is  more  dignified  and  orderly.  Span- 
ish decorum  and  gravity,  which  1 have  before  remarked 
are  never  forgotten,  even  in  the  excitement  of  the  gaming- 
table, are  proof  against  what  our  own  experience  would 
lead  us  to  believe  is  a much  severer  trial,  the  excitement 
and  irritation  of  political  strife.  Two  members  of  the 
Mexican  Congress  who  would  fight  on  the  floor  of  Con- 
gress would  be  in  danger  of  the  garote.  The  manner  of 
some  of  the  speakers  is  decidedly  oratorical.  As  to  the 
matter  I cannot  speak,  as  the  gallery  where  seats  are  pro- 
vided for  the  diplomatic  corps  is  so  high  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  hear.  Their  style,  however,  like  that  of  all  Mexi- 
cans, is  excessively  grandiloquent,  always  in  “ Ercles  vein.” 
But  what  is  much  more  to  their  honor  is,  that  in  the  ever- 
shifting  scenes  in  the  drama  of  Mexican  revolutions  and 
civil  wars,  there  has  not  been  a single  instance  of  a Mexi- 
can Congress  proving  false  to  the  trust  confided  to  it.  It 
is  true  that  there  have  been  subservient  Congresses,  but 
they  were  not  composed  of  the  members  originally  elected. 
The  strong  measure  of  all  usurpers,  from  the  time  of  Crom- 
well, was  resorted  to  of  dissolving  the  original  Con- 
gress, and  assembling  another  selected  by  the  President 


168 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XVIII. 


from  his  own  subservient  tools,  and  who  were  no  more,  of 
course,  than  the  passive  instruments  of  his  will,  and  the 
registers  of  his  edicts.  The  resistance  made  by  the  Con- 
gress of  Mexico  to  the  usurpation  and  arbitrary  acts  of 
Iturbide  may  be  advantageously  compared  with  that  of  the 
English  Parliament  to  Cromwell,  and  more  closely  with 
the  conduct  of  the  French  Chambers  towards  Buonaparte. 
The  course  of  Pedraza,  as  a member  of  the  Mexican  Con- 
gress during  the  last  administration  of  Santa  Anna,  when 
his  power  was  absolute,  and  he  seemed  to  be  altogether 
impregnable,  was  worthy  of  all  admiration.  It  was  firm, 
cool,  resolute,  and  patriotic. 

The  better  classes  of  the  Mexicans  are  generally  edu- 
cated to  some  extent,  and,  I think,  as  generally  patriotic. 
They  have  the  sentiment  of  liberty,  but  it  is  vague  and  unde- 
fined, and  a devoted  attachment  to  the  word  “ Republic,’9 
but,  I greatly  fear,  are  not  altogether  capable  of  laying 
wisely  the  broad  and  deep  foundations  of  such  a govern- 
ment which  would  be  suited  to  their  peculiar  circumstances. 
God  grant  that  they  may ! for  they  deserve  success  ; and 
I can  say,  in  all  truth,  that  there  is  no  other  country, 
except  my  own,  in  whose  advances  in  the  great  career  of 
civil  liberty  I feel  so  strong  an  interest. 

The  first  spark  struck  out  from  our  own  great  move- 
ment was  kindled  in  Mexico.  The  nation  has  passed 
through  the  severest  trials,  and,  in  many  instances,  developed 
characters  of  the  most  disinterested  patriotism  and  exalted 
virtue. 

That  which  is  in  all  respects  the  greatest  nuisance,  and 
the  most  insuperable  barrier  to  the  prosperity  and  progress 
of  Mexico,  is  the  army.  They  will  tell  you  there  that  it 
amounts  to  forty  thousand  men  ; but  they  have  never  had 
half  that  number.  I have  no  doubt  that  the  accounts  at  the 


CHAP.  XVJII.] 


UNDISCIPLINED  TROOPS. 


169 


Department  of  War  exhibit  nearly  the  number  stated,  but  a 
large  proportion  of  them  are  men  of  straw — fictitious  names 
fraudulently  inserted  for  the  benefit  of  the  officers  who  pay 
them.  They  are  paid  every  day,  or,  rather,  that  is  the  law ; 
but  the  pay  is  just  as  fictitious  as  the  muster  rolls. 

They  have  more  than  two  hundred  generals,  most  of  them 
without  commands.  Every  officer  who  commands  a regi- 
ment has  the  title  of  general,  and  is  distinguished  from  ge- 
nerals who  have  no  commands  by  the  addition  of  “ General 
effectivo.”  The  rate  of  pay  is  not  very  different  from  that 
of  our  own  army.  Each  officer  and  soldier,  however,  is 
his  own  commissary,  no  rations  being  issued  ; and  they  are 
well  satisfied  if  they  receive  enough  of  their  pay  to  procure 
their  scanty  rations,  which  was  very  rarely  the  case,  except 
with  Santa  Anna’s  favorite  troops,  whom  he  always  kept 
about  his  person,  and  this  made  it  their  interest  to  sustain 
him.  In  one  of  the  last  conversations  which  I had  with 
him,  I told  him  that  the  army  would  remain  faithful  to  him 
just  so  long  as  he  could  pay  them,  and  no  longer,  and  that 
I did  not  see  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to  pay  them  much 
longer. 

The  result  proved  the  truth  of  both  predictions,  and  that, 
I have  no  doubt,  was  the  cause  of  the  revolution  which 
overthrew  him.  It  is  not  alone  with  the  French  sans- 
culottes that  “ la  liberte  et  la  peine”  is  a cry  of  fearful 
potency.  Shortly  before  I left  Mexico,  an  officer  in  the 
army  came  to  the  city  and  settled  his  accounts  with  the 
War  Department,  and  received  a certificate  that  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  were  due  him  ; after  hawking  it  about 
amongst  the  brokers,  he  sold  the  claim  for  a hundred  and 
twenty-five  dollars,  which  was  five  cents  on  the  dollar. 

They  say  that  they  are  obliged  to  have  a standing  army, 
9 


170  RECOLLECTIONS?  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XVIII. 

and  that  they  can  only  enforce  their  laws  “ by  the  grace  of 
God  and  gunpowder.”  This  may  be  true,  but  I doubt  it. 
But  if  it  be,  is  there  any  military  man  who  will  deny  that 
five  thousand  soldiers  wTell-paid,  fed  and  disciplined, 
would  be  more  efficient  than  fifty  thousand  such  troops  as 
they  have  ? It  has  been  the  policy  of  all  great  commanders 
not  to  take  doubtful  and  undisciplined  troops  into  a great 
battle.  I do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  if  I was  in  command 
of. an  army  of  ten  thousand  disciplined  troops,  and  was 
going  into  battle,  and  was  offered  ten  thousand  more  Mex- 
ican troops,  that  I would  not  take  them.  Napier,  in  his 
history  of  the  Peninsular  War,  describing  some  battle  uses 
this  expression : “The  British  army  was  strengthened  or 
rather  weakened  by  twenty  thousand  undisciplined  Spanish 
troops.”  The  inequality  between  disciplined  and  undisci- 
plined troops  is  estimated  by  military  men  as  one  to  five. 
This  inequality  is  much  greater  with  large  masses,  and  I 
do  not  think  that  any  commander  could  perform  a tactical 
evolution  with  five  thousand  Mexican  troops.  I do  not  be- 
lieve that  such  an  one — a manoeuvre  in  the  face  of  an  enemy— 
ever  was  attempted  in  any  Mexican  battle  ; they  have  all 
been  mere  melees  or  mob  fights,  and  generally  terminated 
by  a charge  of  cavalry,  which  is,  therefore,  the  favorite 
corps  with  all  Mexican  officers.  I should  regard  it,  from 
the  diminutive  size  of  their  horses  and  the  equally  diminu- 
tive stature  and  feebleness  of  their  riders,  as  utterly  ineffi- 
cient against  any  common  infantry.  I said  so  in  conver- 
sation with  Colonel  B n,  an  officer  who  had  seen  some 

service,  and  had  some  reputation.  I was  not  a little  amused 
at  his  reply.  He  admitted  that  squares  of  infantry  were 
generally  impregnable  to  cavalry,  but  said  it  was  not  so  with 
the  Mexican  cavalry,  that  they  had  one  resource  by  which 
they  never  had  any  difficulty  in  breaking  the  square.  I 


CHAP.  XVIII.] 


UNDISCIPLINED  TROOPS. 


171 


was  curious  to  know  what  this  new  and  important  discovery- 
in  the  art  of  war  was,  and  waited  impatiently  the  “ push 
of  his  one  thing,”  when  to  my  infinite  amusement  he  replied 
— the  Lasso ; that  the  cavalry  armed  with  lassos  rode  up 
and  threw  them  over  the  men  forming  the  squares,  and 
pulled  them  out,  and  thus  made  the  breach.  I remembered 
that  my  old  nurse  had  often  got  me  to  sleep  when  a child, 
by  promising  to  catch  me  some  birds  the  next  day,  by  put- 
ting salt  on  their  tails,  which  I thought  was  about  as  easy 
an  operation  as  this  new  discovery  of  the  Mexican  colonel. 
I had  read  of  “ k-neeling  ranks  and  charging  squadrons,”  but 
this  idea  of  lassoing  squadrons  was  altogether  new  to  me. 
Buonaparte  fought  and  gained  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids 
against  the  best  cavalry  in  the  world,  the  Mamelukes,  en- 
tirely in  squares.  He  lost  the  battle  of  Waterloo  because 
the  British  squares  were  impenetrable  to  the  next  best — the 
French  cavalry — during  all  of  that  long  and  awful  conflict. 
The  idea,  however,  of  the  lasso  did  not  occur  to  the  Mame- 
lukes in  Egypt,  nor  to  Buonaparte  at  Waterloo.  I was  re- 
minded of  the  equally  novel  attack  of  the  Chinese  upon  the 
English,  when  they  were  all  formed  in  battle  array  and 
the  Chinese  threw  somersets  at  them  instead  of  cannon 
balls  and  shells. 

The  Mexican  army,  and  more  particularly  their  cavalry, 
may  do  very  well  to  fight  each  other,  but  in  any  conflict 
with  qur  own  or  European  troops,  it  would  not  be  a battle 
but  a massacre.  Frederick  the  Great,  who  was  the  author, 
in  a great  degree,  of  the  modern  system  of  tactics,  had 
three  maxims  as  to  cavalry.  First,  that  a cavalry  corps 
should  never  be  charged  but  should  always  make  the 
charge.  Second,  that,  in  a charge  of  cavalry,  they  were 
not  going  fast  enough  unless  when  halted  the  froth  from 
the  mouth  of  the  horse  struck  the  rider  in  the  face ; and 


172 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XVIII. 


third,  which  was  rather  the  summing  up  of  the  first  two, 
that  the  spur  was,  more  important  than  the  sword.  In  other 
words,  that  the  impulse  and  momentum  of  the  horse  was 
of  more  consequence  than  the  arms  and  blows  of  the  rider. 
What  then  must  be  the  murderous  inequality  between  a 
corps  of  American  cavalry  and  an  equal  number  of  Mexi- 
cans ? The  American  corps,  from  the  superior  size  of  their 
horses,  would  cover  twice  as  much  ground,  and  the  ob- 
struction offered  by  the  Mexicans  on  their  small  and 
scrawny  ponies  would  scarcely  cause  their  horses  to  stum- 
ble in  riding  over  them  ; to  say  nothing  of  the  greater  in- 
equality of  the  men  themselves,  five  to  one  at  least  in 
individual  combats,  and  more  than  twice  that  in  a battle. 
The  infantry  would  be  found  even  more  impotent. 

I do  not  think  that  the  Mexican  men  have  much  more 
physical  strength  than  our  women.  They  are  generally  of 
diminutive  stature,  wholly  unaccustomed  to  labor  or  exer- 
cise of  any  sort,  and  as  a conclusive  proof  of  their  inferior- 
ity to  our  own  Indians,  I will  mention  the  fact  that  frequent 
incursions  are  made  far  into  the  interior  of  Mexico  by  ma- 
rauding bands  of  Comanches,  who  levy  black  mail  to  an 
enormous  extent  upon  the  northern  provinces  of  Mexico. 
It  is  not  unusual  for  bands  of  a hundred  Comanches  thus 
to  penetrate  several  hundred  miles  into  Mexico  and  carry 
off  as  many  horses,  cattle  and  captives  as  they  choose  ; 
there  are  not  less  than  five  thousand  Mexicans  at  this 
moment  slaves  of  the  Comanches — and  of  all  our  western 
tribes  the  Comanches  are  the  most  cowardly, — the  Dela- 
wares frequently  whip  them  five  to  one.^ 

The  soldiers  of  the  Mexican  army  are  generally  collected 
by  sending  out  recruiting  detachments  into  the  mountains, 
where  they  hunt  the  Indians  in  their  dens  and  caverns,  and 
bring  them  in  chains  to  Mexico  ; there  is  scarcely  a day 


CHAP.  XVIII.J 


MODE  OF  RECRUITING. 


173 


that  droves  of  these  miserable  and  more  than  half  naked 
wretches  are  not  seen  thus  chained  together  and  marching 
through  the  streets  to  the  barracks,  where  they  are  scoured 
and  then  dressed  in  a uniform  made  of  linen  cloth  or  of 
serge,  and  are  occasionally  drilled — which  drilling  consists 
mainly  in  teaching  them  to  march  in  column  through  the 
streets.  Their  military  bands  are  good,  and  the  men  learn 
to  march  indifferently  well — but  only  indifferently  well — 
they  put  their  feet  down  as  if  they  were  feeling  for  the 
place,  and  do  not  step  with  that  jaunty,  erect  and  graceful 
air  which  is  so  beautiful  in  well  drilled  troops.  As  to  the 
wheelings  of  well-trained  troops,  like  the  opening  and  shut- 
ting of  a gate,  or  the  prompt  and  exact  execution  of 
other  evolutions,  they  know  nothing  about  them.  There  is 
not  one  in  ten  of  these  soldiers  who  has  ever  seen  a gun, 
nor  one  in  a hundred  who  has  ever  fired  one  before  he 
was  brought  into  the  barracks.  It  is  in  this  way  that  the 
ranks  of  the  army  are  generally  filled  up — in  particular 
emergencies  the  prisons  are  thrown  open,  which  .always 
contain  more  prisoners  than  the  army  numbers,  and  these 
felons  become  soldiers  and  some  of  them  officers.  Their 
arms,  too,  are  generally  worthless  English  muskets  which 
have  been  condemned  and  thrown  aside,  and  are  pur- 
chased for  almost  nothing  and  sold  to  the  Mexican  gov- 
ernment. Their  powder,  too,  is  equally  bad  ; in  the  last 
battle  between  Santa  Anna  and  Bustamente,  which  lasted 
the  whole  day,  not  one  cannon  ball  in  a thousand  reached 
the  enemy — they  generally  fell  about  half-way  between  the 
opposing  armies.  What  would  they  think  of  such  fights  as 
we  had  on  the  northern  lines,  when  Miller  stormed  the 
English  battery,  or  when,  in  the  language  of  General 
Brown,  “General  Jessup  showed  himself  to  his  friends  in  a 
sheet  of  fire.”  I do  not  think  that  the  Mexicans  are  defi- 


174 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XV11I. 


cient  in  courage ; or  it  might  be  more  properly  said  that 
they  are  indifferent  to  danger  or  the  preservation  of  a life 
which  is  really  so  worthless  to  the  most  of  them.  But  with 
the  disadvantages  to  which  I have  adverted,  the  reader 
will  not  be  surprised  that  in  all  the  conflicts  with  our 
people,  in  which  they  have  been  more  or  less  engaged 
for  the  last  thirty  years,  they  have  always  been  defeated. 

The  following  brief  sketch  of  some  of  these  battles  I 
have  taken  from  the  report  of  Mr.  Moffit,  who  was  sent 
as  Commissioner  to  Texas,  in  1837,  by  General  Jackson, 
to  collect  such  information  as  would  enable  him  to  act 
understanding^  upon  the  question  of  the  recognition  of  the 
Independence  of  Texas  : — 

“ In  order  that  you  may  determine  whether  her  history  thus  far  may 
be  considered  as  experience  that  will  teach  successfully  by  example,  I 
submit  the  following  summary : 

“ In  the  year  1827,  when  the  Texians,  near  Nacogdoches,  had  been 
aggrieved  by  the  military  at  that  post,  and  had  ineffectually  endeavored  to 
procure  their  removal,  they  took  up  arms  for  the  purpose,  and  with  250 
undisciplined  men  defeated  375  regulars,  under  General  Las  Piedros. 

“ In  1832,  under  the  administration  of  Bustamente,  and  after  the  vio- 
lation of  the  federal  constitution,  a detachment  of  132  Texian  settlers, 
under  Captain  John  Austin,  besieged  and  reduced  the  fort  at  Velasco, 
garrisoned  by  173  Mexicans,  under  Colonel  Ugarticha,  with  great  loss  to 
the  besieged. 

“ In  1835,  the  Mexican  garrison  at  Anahuoca,  under  Captain  Tenoria, 
surrendered  to  Colonel  Travis,  commanding  a smaller  force.  In  October 
of  the  same  year,  the  Mexican  cavalry  from  the  fortress  at  Bexar  were 
completely  routed  at  Gonzales. 

“ A few  weeks  after,  92  Texians,  under  Colonels  Bowie  and  Fanning, 
fought  the  battle  of  Conception,  and  defeated  450  Mexicans.  In  Novem- 
ber, Lepartittlan,  on  the  Nueces,  was  captured  by  Adjutant  Westover. 
The  battle  near  Bexar  was  fought  in  the  same  month,  and  400  Mexicans 
were  obliged  to  retire  under  cover  of  the  artillery  of  the  town,  before 
200  Texians.  And  in  December,  the  city  of  San  Antonio  and  the  Alamo, 


CHAP.  XVIIT.] 


TEXIAN  CONFLICTS. 


175 


defended  by  1,300  Mexicans,  under  General  Cos,  surrendered  to  400 
Texians,  commanded  by  Colonel  Milam.  This  terminated  the  first  cam- 
paign in  the  cause  of  civil  liberty  in  Texas. 

“ The  second  commenced  with  a small  expedition  against  Metamoras, 
which  failed,  and  was  succeeded  in  March,  1836,  by  the  assault  of  Santa 
Anna  upon  the  Alamo,  its  surrender,  and  the  massacre  of  the  Texians. 

“ Then  followed  the  defeat  of  the  Mexicans  at  the  Mision  del  Refugio, 
by  Captain  King,  and  the  destruction  of  Gonzales  on  the  retreat  of  General 
Houston. 

“ The  second  fight  at  Refugio  terminated  favorably  to  the  Texians, 
under  Colonel  Ward — but  Colonel  Fanning,  a few  days  after,  submitted 
to  General  Urrea,  and  400  men  were  shot. 

“On  the  21st  of  April,  1836,  the  decisive  battle  of  San  Jacinto  was 
fought,  in  which  General  Santa  Anna,  with  1,300  men,  was  defeated  by 
General  Houston,  commanding  783  ; and  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month 
all  the  Mexican  forces  retreated  beyond  the  frontiers  of  Texas.  This 
concluded  the  second  campaign,  and  thence,  it  is  said,  a new  epoch  in  her 
history  was  dated. 

“ If  we  recur  to  the  military  incidents  of  Mexico,  in  which  persons 
from  the  United  States  took  part,  even  while  that  country  was  under  the 
dominion  of  Spain,  it  will  be  seen  that  nearly  all  the  conflicts  were  dis- 
astrous to  her  subjects  ; and  there  seems  to  be  a fatality  against  her  that 
is  likely  to  keep  pace  with  all  her  pretensions  on  this  side  of  her  natural 
boundary,  the  Rio  Grande.  As  early  as  1810,  the  military  post  at  Baton 
Rouge,  whose  commandant  had  committed  many  wrongs  against  Colonel 
Kemper,  was  attacked  by  40  Americans,  under  General  Thomas,  and  the 
garrison,  with  Colonel  Lassus  and  120  men,  subdued.  The  Mexicans 
about  that  time  had  commenced  a revolution  against  Spain,  and  Colonel 
Ross,  with  500  men,  proceeded  into  Texas  to  aid  the  patriots  : he  attack- 
ed and  took  the  strong  town  of  Goliad  without  any  loss,  and  soon  after 
defeated  and  captured  1,500  Mexicans.  This  army  determined  upon  the 
conquest  of  Mexico,  and  routed  and  cut  to  pieces  3,000  men  near  San 
Antonio. 

“A  reinforcement  of  4,000  Mexicans  assaulted  Bexar  in  the  absence 
of  the  American  generals,  but  the  trooops  resolved  to  act  themselves,  and 
defeated  the  assailants  with  the  loss  of  only  three  men. 

“In  1812,  General  Toledo,  who  had  revolted  from  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment, took  command  of  San  Antonio,  and,  with  Ross’s  force  of  400,  and 


176 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XVIII. 


300  Indians,  routed  another  Mexican  army  of  4,000  men.  These  events 
led  to  the  general  revolution  which  separated  Mexico  from  Spain ; and 
ever  since  then,  whenever  the  Texians  have  been  engaged,  either  with 
the  Mexicans  to  establish  a republic,  or  against  them  to  defend  it,  they 
have  almost  invariably  prevailed.” 

In  the  account  which  Mr.  Moffit  gives  of  the  battle  at 
Bexar  where  General  Cos  surrendered  to  Colonel  Milam, 
he  has  overstated  the  Texian  force.  There  were  only 
two  hundred  and  nineteen  Texians  engaged  in  that  battle, 
and  they  had  no  artillery  but  one  six  pounder.  The  Mexi- 
can force  was  fourteen  hundred  men,  with  twenty-two 
pieces  of  artillery.  The  Mexicans  were  in  a stone  build- 
ing with  walls  three  or  four  feet  thick,  and  were  protected 
besides  by  an  outside  stone-wall  two  feet  high  and  six  feet 
thick.  The  attack  was  made  about  midnight,  the  Texians 
clambering  over  the  walls  as  best  they  could.  At  daylight, 
General  Cos  surrendered  and  gave  up  his  twenty-two 
pieces  of  artillery,  only  stipulating  for  the  return  of  his 
men  to  Mexico,  and  some  of  his  small  arms. 

The  battle  of  Mier  was  fought  under  precisely  equal  cir- 
cumstances, so  far  as  defences  were  concerned — the 
troops  on  both  sides  firing  from  the  flat  roofs  of  the  houses. 
There  were  two  hundred  and  seventy  Texians  engaged 
against  twenty-six  hundred  Mexicans.  The  battle  lasted 
eighteen  hours,  and  the  result  was  less  than  thirty  Texians 
killed  and  wounded,  and  from  five  to  seven  hundred  Mexi- 
cans. From  information,  upon  which  I have  entire  reli- 
ance, the  Mexicans  were  about  to  retire  and  had  their 
horses  saddled  for  that  purpose,  when  the  Texians  were 
most  unfortunately  induced  to  surrender, — their  ammu- 
nition being  nearly  exhausted,  and  hearing  that  a large 
reinforcement  of  the  Mexican  army  was  near  at  hand. 
When  the  prisoners  who  were  taken  at  Mier,  rose  upon 


CHAP.  XVIII.] 


TEXIAN  CONFLICTS. 


177 


their  guard  on  the  march  to  Mexico,  there  were  less  than 
two  hundred  Texians,  and  the  Mexican  guard  consisted  of 
two  hundred  infantry  and  one  hundred  cavalry.  The 
Texians  had  of  course  no  arms  of  any  sort,  and  the  Mexi- 
cans anticipated  the  attack.  Yet  in  fifteen  minutes  the 
Mexicans  were  defeated.  Shall  we  go  to  war  with  such  a 
people?  Shall  we  send  Scott  and  Worth  to  glean  a field 
which  has  been  thus  reaped  ? 

If  the  main  body  of  the  Texians  had  not  returned  to 
Texas  and  had  penetrated  further  into  Mexico,  no  one  can 
fix  a limit  to  their  triumphs.  I have  no  doubt  that  they 
would  have  been  extensive  and  important.  I regret  that 
I have  not  yet  been  able  to  procure  a copy  of  General 
Green’s  account  of  that  short  but  most  remarkable  cam- 
paign, and  the  consequences  which  followed  it. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Review  of  Mexican  History  since  the  Revolution — Provisions  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  Tacubaya — Departments  of  Government — Powers  and  Duties 
of  the  various  Officers — Free  Institutions  without  the  Spirit  of  Freedom. 

Anything  like  an  outline  of  the  history  of  Mexico  since  the 
revolution  which  separated  that  country  from  Spain,  would 
extend  these  pages  very  much  beyond  the  limits  which  I 
have  prescribed  to  myself,  and  would  require  more  time 
than  I have  at  my  disposal.  The  following  hasty  glance 
must  therefore  suffice.  The  overthrow  of  Iturbide  in 
1823  was  followed  by  the  adoption  in  1824  of  a federal 
constitution,  of  which  that  of  the  United  States  was  the 
model.  Experience  proved  that  this  was  much  too  closely 
followed.  The  constitution  lasted,  however,  for  a period 
much  longer  than  any  other  is  likely  to  do  in  Mexico.  In 
1828,  Santa  Anna  made  a successful  movement  against  the 
government  of  Pedraza,  overthrew  it,  and  shortly  after- 
wards in  the  same  way  again  put  down  Guerrero,  who 
was  subsequently  treacherously  and  foully  murdered.  In 
1832,  Santa  Anna  again  pronounced  against  Bustamente, 
and  placed  Pedraza  in  power.  In  1833,  he  was  elected 
President  himself,  and  in  1835  he  established  the  federal 
system,  and  aided  by  the  priests  founded  a central  govern- 
ment which  was  the  cause  and  the  just  cause  of  the  revolu- 
tion in  Texas.  Never  could  any  people  say,  with  more 
truth,  non  inhoec  federa  veni. 

In  1836,  Santa  Anna  invaded  Texas  with  a large  army. 


CHAP.  XIX.]  CONSTITUTION  OF  TUCUBAYA. 


179 


was  defeated  at  San  Jacinto,  and  made  prisoner.  After 
this  he  remained  on  his  estate  at  Manga  de  Clavo,  until 
1839,  when,  in  a gallant  attack  upon  the  French  who 
had  landed  at  Yera  Cruz,  he  lost  his  leg  and  recovered 
his  reputation.  In  the  fall  of  1842,  he  again  pronounced 
against  Bustamente,  overthrew  and  banished  him.  The 
chiefs  of  the  army  assembled  at  Tucubaya,  a village  three 
miles  from  Mexico,  established  a provisional  government 
until  a new  constitution  could  be  formed.  By  the  seventh 
Article  of  the  plan  of  this  provincial  government,  it  is  pro- 
vided that  the  President  shall  have  all  powers  necessary 
to  organize  the  nation  and  all  the  branches  of  the  gov- 
ernment. Santa  Anna  construed  this  grant  as  in  fact  con- 
ferring upon  him  absolute  powers.  He  is  not  without  high 
authority,  however,  in  construing  the  wrords,  “ necessary 
powers,”  which  there,  as  elsewhere,  were  only  intended 
to  convey  auxiliary  powers,  into  a grant  not  only  of  sub- 
stantive, but  of  all  possible  powers.  Members  were  elected 
to  form  a new  constitution,  and  assembled  about  the  time 
of  my  arrival  in  Mexico.  Their  discussions  were  clever 
enough,  but  they  talked  too  much  about  Greece  and  Rome. 
Perhaps  the  examples  of  these  countries  were  more  to  their 
purpose  and  tastes  than  others  more  modern  and  more  free  ; 
their  labors  were  about  being  closed,  and  it  was  known 
that  the  result  would  be  the  adoption  of  a constitution 
federal  in  its  form.  Santa  Anna  retired  to  his  estate  at 
Manga  de  Clavo,  leaving  old  Bravo,  President  ad  interim . 
Pronunciamentos  were  gotten  up  all  over  the  country  by 
the  different  military  garrisons,  in  which  the  work  of  the 
Convention  was  denounced  and  the  President  requested  to 
close  its  sessions,  which  he  did.  The  event  was  celebrated 
by  a grand  military  procession  through  the  streets  of 
Mexico.  I have  seen  nothing  so  revolting  as  it  was,  nor 


180 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XIX. 


anything  which  made  me  so  despondent  as  to  the  future 
destinies  of  Mexico.  It  marched  by  my  door,  and  I cannot 
express  my  feelings  when  I saw  the  ignorant  and  debased 
soldiery  headed  by  their  officers,  who,  as  to  the  true  prin- 
ciples of  a government  calculated  to  secure  the  liberties  of 

•v 

the  people,  were  little  better  informed,  thus  celebrating  the 
triumph  of  brute  force  over  the  will  of  the  people  fairly 
expressed. 

I would  here  remark,  that  although  I have  a well  settled 
opinion  that  a federal  government  is  not  suited  to  the  cir- 
cumstances aud  condition  of  Mexico,  yet  I am  well  satisfied 
that  the  federal  party  numbers  in  its  ranks  much  the  larger 
portion  of  the  true  patriots  of  the  country.  It  was  said, 
with  how  much  truth  I cannot  decide,  that  Santa  Anna 
absented  himself  from  Mexico  at  this  important  juncture  to 
avoid  the  responsibility  of  the  act  of  closing  the  sessions  of 
the  Convention,  and  to  throw  that  responsibility  upon 
General  Bravo.  A new  Convention  soon  after  assembled, 
which  was  composed  chiefly  of  members  nominated  by  the 
President.  This  Convention  adopted  a constitution  which 
went  into  operation  in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1844. 
Although  I cannot  go  the  whole  length  of  the  opinion 
expressed  by  Pope,  that  the  government  “ which  is  best 
administered  is  best,”  yet  I am  satisfied  that  the  present 
constitution  of  Mexico  is  better  than  another  of  those 
changes  so  disastrous  to  the  country,  and  which  have  made 
Mexico  the  object  of  ridicule  everywhere. 

Some  of  the  leading  provisions  of  this  constitution  are 
the  following  : — 

Slavery  is  for  ever  prohibited. 

The  liberty  of  the  Press  is  guaranteed  ; a guarantee , how- 
ever, purely  theoretical ; it  is  no  more  free  than  in  France , 
nor  as  free. 


CHAP.  XIX.] 


DEPARTMENTS  OF  GOVERNMENT. 


181 


Equally  theoretical  is  the  provision  that  no  one  shall  be 
arrested  but  by  the  authority  of  law. 

No  taxes  to  be  imposed  but  by  the  legislative  authority. 

Private  property  not  to  be  taken  for  public  uses  but  with 
just  compensation. 

Mexicans  to  be  preferred  for  public  offices  to  strangers, 
if  their  qualifications  are  equal — a qualification,  by  the  way, 
of  this  provision  which  neutralizes  it. 

Persons  who  have  attained  the  age  of  eighteen  years  are 
entitled  to  the  rights  of  citizens,  if  married ; if  unmarried, 
twenty- one  years  ; and  who  have  an  annual  income  of  two 
hundred  dollars,  either  from  labor  or  the  profits  of  capital. 

After  the  year  1850,  those  only  are  to  exercise  the  privi- 
leges of  a citizen  who  can  read  and  write. 

By  becoming  a domestic  servant,  the  privileges  of  a 
citizen  are  suspended ; so,  also,  pending  a criminal  prose- 
cution— being  a habitual  drunkard  or  gambler,  a vagrant  or 
keeping  a gaming-house. 

The  rights  of  citizenship  are  lost  by  conviction  of  an  in- 
famous crime,  or  for  fraudulent  bankruptcy,  or  by  malver- 
sation in  any  public  office. 

The  legislative  power  is  composed  of  a house  of  deputies 
and  a senate,  one  deputy  for  every  seventy  thousand  inha- 
bitants ; a supernumerary  deputy  shall  be  elected  in  all  cases 
to  serve  in  the  absence  of  the  regular  deputy. 

The  age  prescribed  for  members  of  Congress  is  thirty 
years.  They  must  have  an  annual  income  of  twelve  hun- 
dred dollars.  One  half  of  the  members  to  be  re-elected 
every  two  years. 

The  Senate  is  composed  of  sixty-three  members,  two- 
thirds  of  whom  are  to  be  elected  by  the  departmental 
assemblies,  the  other  third  by  the  House  of  Deputies,  the 
President  of  the  Republic,  and  the  Supreme  Court ; each 


182 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XIX. 


department  to  vote  for  forty-three  persons,  and  those  hav- 
ing the  highest  number  of  votes  of  the  aggregate  of  all 
the  departmental  assemblies  are  elected  senators.  The 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  President  shall  vote 
in  like  manner  for  the  remaining  third;  and  out  of  the 
names  thus  voted  for  by  each  of  those  departments  of  the 
government,  the  House  of  Deputies  selects  the  proper  num- 
ber (twenty-one).  The  first  selection  of  this  third  of  the 
Senators  to  be  made  by  the  President  (Santa  Anna)  alone. 

The  President  of  the  Republic  and  Judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  are  required  to  vote  only  for  such  persons  as  have 
distinguished  themselves  by  important  public  services, 
civil,  military,  or  ecclesiastical.  Amongst  others  disquali- 
fied from  being  elected  members  of  the  House  of  Deputies 
are  the  Archbishops,  Bishops,  and  other  high  Ecclesiastical 
officers. 

The  Senators  elected  by  the  Departments  are  required 
to  be  five  agriculturists,  and  the  same  number  of  each  of 
the  following  occupations — miners,  merchants,  and  manu- 
facturers ; the  remainder  to  be  elected  from  persons  who 
have  filled  the  office  of  President,  Minister  of  State,  Foreign 
Minister,  Governor  of  a Department,  Senator,  Deputy, 
Bishop,  or  General  of  Division.  The  age  of  a Senator  is 
thirty-five  years,  and  an  annual  income  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  is  required. 

One-third  of  the  Senate  to  be  renewed  every  three  years. 

All  laws  must  originate  in  the  House  of  Deputies. 

All  treaties  must  be  approved  by  both  Houses  of  Con- 
gress. Congress  has  a veto  upon  all  the  decrees'  of  the 
Departmental  Assemblies  which  are  opposed  to  the  Con- 
stitution or  the  laws  of  Congress. 

Congress  are  forbidden  to  alter  the  laws  laying  duties  on 


CHAP.  XIX.]  DEPARTMENTS  OF  GOVERNMENT. 


183 


imports  which  are  intended  for  the  protection  of  domestic 
industry. 

No  retrospective  law  or  laws  impairing  the  obligation 
of  contracts  to  be  passed. 

The  Senate  to  approve  the  President’s  nomination  of 
foreign  ministers,  consuls,  and  of  officers  in  the  army  above 
the  rank  of  Colonel. 

Members  of  Congress  not  to  receive  executive  appoint- 
ments except  with  certain  limitations,  amongst  which  is  the 
consent  of  the  body  to  which  they  belong. 

The  other  powers  of  Congress  are  pretty  much  the  same 
as  in  our  own  or  other  popular  Constitutions.  The  Presi- 
dent must  be  a native  of  the  country,  and  a layman,  and 
holds  his  office  for  the  term  of  five  years.  It  is  made  his 
duty  to  supervise  the  courts  of  justice,  and  he  may  pre- 
scribe the  order  in  which  cases  shall  be  tried  He  may  im- 
pose fines  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars  upon  those 
who  disobey  his  lawful  commands.  Certain  large  powers 
are  conferred  upon  him  in  relation  to  Concordats,  Bulls,  De- 
crees, and  other  ecclesiastical  matters.  He  possesses  a 
very  qualified  veto  upon  the  acts  of  Congress.  He  may 
call  an  extra  session  of  Congress,  and  prescribe  the  only 
subjects  to  be  considered.  The  President  not  to  exercise 
any  military  command  without  the  consent  of  Congress. 
Not  to  leave  the  Republic  during  his  term  of  office,  nor  for 
one  year  after  its  expiration,  but  with  the  consent  of  Con- 
gress, nor  to  go  more  than  six  leagues  from  the  Capital, 
without  the  like  permission.  He  shall  in  no  case  alienate, 
exchange  or  mortgage  any  portion  of  the  territory  of  the 
Republic.  All  his  acts  must  be  approved  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Department  to  which  it  properly  belongs.  He  can- 
not be  prosecuted  criminally  except  for  Treason  against 
the  national  independence  or  the  form  of  government  es- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


184 


[chap.  XIX. 


tablished  by  the  Constitution  during  his  term  of  office,  nor 
for  one  year  afterwards. 

During  the  temporary  absence  of  the  President,  his  func- 
tions devolve  upon  the  President  of  the  Senate ; if  his  ab- 
sence continues  longer  than  fifteen  days,  a President  ad 
interim  shall  be  elected  by  the  Senate.  The  other  grants 
of  power  to  the  Executive  seem  to  be  pretty  much  copied 
from  our  own  Constitution. 

The  different  Secretaries  may  attend  the  sessions  of 
either  branch  of  Congress,  whenever  required  by  them,  or 
so  ordered  by  the  President,  to  give  any  explanations  which 
may  be  desired.  The  Secretaries  are  responsible  for  all 
acts  of  the  President  in  violation  of  the  Constitution  and 
laws  which  they  may  have  approved. 

The  Council  of  the  President  consists  of  seventeen  mem- 
bers selected  by  himself.  These  Councillors  must  be  thirty- 
five  years  old,  and  have  served  at  least  ten  years  without 
intermission  in  some  public  station. 

The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  must  be  forty  years 
old. 

The  government  may  be  impleaded  in  this  Court  by  any 
individual  (I  think  a wise  and  just  provision)  ; as  may  also 
the  Archbishops  and  Bishops  in  particular  cases. 

A permanent  court  martial  is  also  organized,  composed 
of  Generals  and  lawyers,  appointed  by  the  President. 

Each  Department  has  an  assembly  of  not  more  than 
eleven,  nor  less  than  seven  members.  Their  powers  are  to 
impose  taxes  for  the  use  of  the  Department ; establish 
schools  and  charitable  institutions ; make  roads  and  keep 
them  in  order  ; arrange  the  mode  of  raising  troops  which 
may  be  required  of  the  Department ; establish  corporations ; 
superintend  the  police,  and  encourage  agriculture  ; propose 
laws  to  the  Congress,  and  fit  persons  to  the  President  for 


CHAP.  XIX.]  POWER  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  OFFICERS.  185 

the  office  of  Governor  of  the  Department  (from  the  per- 
sons thus  recommended,  the  President,  except  in  extraor- 
dinary cases,  must  make  the  selection),  establish  judicial  tri- 
bunals for  their  Departments,  with  many  other  powers  of  a 
similar  character,  and  constituting  the  assembly  a sort  of 
state  legislature,  with  jurisdiction  of  matters  appertaining 
strictly  to  the  Department. 

The  whole  Republic  is  divided  into  sections  of  five  hun- 
dred inhabitants.  Each  of  these  sections  selects  by  ballot 
one  elector.  These  electors  in  turn  elect  others  in  the 
ratio  of  one  for  every  twenty  of  the  electors  thus  primarily 
elected.  These  last  constitute  the  electoral  college  of  the 
Department,  which  again  elect  the  deputies  of  the  general 
Congress,  and  the  members  of  the  Departmental  assembly. 
All  persons  who  have  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  years 
are  eligible  as  primary  electors.  The  secondary  electors 
must  also  have  an  income  of  five  hundred  dollars  a 
year.  On  the  first  of  November  preceding  the  expiration 
of  the  term  of  office  of  the  President,  each  of  the  Depart- 
mental assemblies  is  required  to  meet  and  cast  their  votes 
for  his  successor.  A majority  of  the  votes  of  this  assem- 
bly decides  the  vote  of  the  Department.  On  the  second 
day  of  January  both  houses  of  Congress  assemble  together 
and  declare  the  election.  If  no  one  has  received  the  votes 
of  a majority  of  the  Departments,  the  two  houses  of  Con- 
gress make  the  election  from  the  two  who  have  received 
the  greatest  number  of  votes.  If  more  than  two  have  an 
equal  number  of  votes,  the  election  is  made  from  those  who 
have  received  such  equal  number.  If  one  has  received  a 
higher  number,  and  two  others  have  received  a less  and 
equal  number  of  votes,  Congress  selects  by  ballot  one  of 
these  last  to  compete  with  him  who  has  received  a 
higher  number.  This  election  is  required  to  be  finished  in 
a single  session. 


186 


RECOLLECTIONS  OP  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XIX. 


In  cases  of  a tie  a second  time  in  these  elections,  the 
choice  is  to  be  made  by  lot. 

Punishments  shall  in  no  case  extend  to  confiscation  of 
property,  or  to  attainder. 

No  cruel  punishment  shall  be  inflicted  in  capital  cases, 
only  such  as  are  necessary  to  take  life. 

The  judges  are  responsible  for  any  irregularities  or  mis- 
takes in  their  official  proceedings.  They  hold  their  offices 
for  life. 

Amendments  of  the  Constitution  to  be  made  by  a vote  of 
two-thirds  of  both  branches  of  Congress. 

The  Catholic  religion  is  established  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
others.  Most  of  the  other  provisions  of  the  constitution 
seem  to  be  almost  exactly  copied  from  that  of  the  United 
States. 

I think  that  this  constitution  is  calculated  to  elevate  the 
character  of  those  who  framed  it  very  much  beyond  the 
general  estimate  of  the  intelligence  of  the  Mexicans ; and 
that  it  is  still  more  creditable  in  the  general  spirit  of  liberty 
which  runs  through  all  its  provisions.  I do  not  see  that 
any  of  the  guarantees  are  wanting  for  the  security  of  the 
rights  of  the  citizen  or  the  public  liberty.  But  of  what 
avail  are  free  institutions  without  the  spirit  of  liberty 
amongst  the  people  ; or  what  avail  are  both  without  general 
intelligence  and  virtue  ? “ Quid  valeant  leges  sine  moribus  V9 
The  history  of  other  countries  answers  the  question,  but 
none  so  conclusively  as  the  present  almost  hopeless  condi- 
tion of  Mexico — with  a constitution  quite  liberal  enough  for 
any  country.  It  is  the  profound  remark  of  an  eminent 
writer  “ that  to  endeavor  to  make  a people  free  who  are 
servile  in  their  nature,  is  as  hopeless  as  to  attempt  to  re- 
duce to  slavery  a nation  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  freedom.” 
I would  very  much  prefer  the  spirit  of  liberty  with  despotic 
institutions,  to  free  institutions  without  the  spirit  of  liberty. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Want  of  Statistics — Census — Amount  of  Exports— Specie  Exported — Ex- 
cessive Taxation — Taxes  on  Internal  Commerce — Tobacco  Monopoly — 
Peculation — Table  of  Revenues — Dilapidation  of  the  large  Estates. 

There  is  no  such  thing  in  Mexico  as  a statistical  collection 
of  any  sort.  It  is  a characteristic  fact  that  the  only  attempts 
which  have  been  made  to  make  such  a collection  have  been 
by  foreigners — by  Baron  Humboldt,  in  1804,  and  Mr. 
Brantz  Mayer,  recently  the  Secretary  of  the  American 
Legation  in  Mexico.  Mr.  Mayer  had  access  to  the  best 
sources  of  information,  of  which  he  has  with  praiseworthy 
diligence  availed  himself.  No  census  has  ever  been  taken 
since  the  revolution,  not  even  in  arranging  the  ratio  of  re- 
presentation in  Congress.  With  such  a population  there 
would  be  great  difficulty  in  making  out  a census  with  any 
tolerable  accuracy.  The  whole  population  of  the  Republic 
is  estimated  or  rather  guessed  at  as  amounting  to  seven 
millions.  Of  these  it  is  supposed  that  between  four  and  four 
and  a half  millions  are  pure-blooded  Indians,  about  one 
million  of  white  Europeans  or  their  descendants,  and  the 
remainder  Mulattoes,  Mestizoes  and  Zambos.  My  own 
observation  would  lead  me  to  believe  that  the  number  of 
mulattoes  is  very  small.  I am  sure  that  I never  saw  half  a 
dozen  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  the  African  blood  is,  I 
think,  easily  detected.  The  appearance  of  the  mulattoes  is 
almost  as  distinct  from  the  Indian  as  it  is  from  the  white 
man ; there  is  a manifest  difference  even  in  color.  Of  the 


188 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XX. 


number  of  Mestizoes,  descendants  of  the  Indian  and  white 
races,  it  is  impossible  to  form  even  a conjecture  with  any 
approach  to  accuracy.  As  the  cross  partakes  more  or  less 
of  either  of  the  races,  it  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the  indi- 
vidual is  of  pure  or  mixed  blood.  When  the  Indian  cross  is 
remote  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  the  person  from  a swar- 
thy Spaniard,  and  so  vice  versa.  Neither  do  I think  that 
there  are  many  Zambos,  for  the  African  blood  shows  itself  as 
distinctly  in  the  cross  with  the  Indian  as  with  the  white  man. 
I have  never  looked  upon  any  color  so  horribly  revolting 
as  that  of  the  Zambo.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Pa- 
cific coast  are  very  dark,  as  dark  as  brown  negroes,  and 
darker  than  mulattoes,  but  have  none  of  the  physical  or 
physiognomical  peculiarities  of  the  negro.  They  are  tall, 
well-formed,  fine-looking  men,  with  limbs  and  faces  much 
more  Grecian  than  African.  If  I were  to  form  an  opinion 
from  what  I saw,  I should  say  that  the  estimate  of  white 
persons  is  a large  one.  They  are  very  much  confined  to 
the  cities,  and  a few  wealthy  proprietors,  who  reside  upon 
their  estates.  I am  quite  sure  that  nine  of  every  ten  per- 
sons whom  one  meets  in  the  streets  of  Mexico  are  Indians 
or  Mestizoes,  and  it  is  in  that  city  that  the  white  population 
is  greater  in  proportion  than  anywhere  else ; in  travelling 
in  the  country  it  would  be  safe  to  wager  that  forty-nine  of 
every  fifty  persons  you  might  meet  would  be  Indians.  I 
have  heretofore  spoken  of  the  sympathy  of  race,  but  it  is 
not  half  so  strong  as  the  antipathy  of  race.  The  feelings 
of  the  Indians  of  Mexico  towards  the  Spaniards  is  very 
much  the  same  now  that  it  was  at  the  period  of  the  Con- 
quest. Although  everything  admonishes  them  that  the 
European  is  the  superior  race,  they  are  generally  averse  to 
alliances  with  them,  and  whenever  such  are  formed,  they 
are  prompted  more  by  interest  than  inclination.  How  can 


CHAP.  XX.] 


EXPORTS. 


189 


it  be  otherwise  ? The  original  wrongs  of  the  invasion  of 
their  country,  and  the  horrible  massacres  which  followed 
it,  have  been  aggravated  by  three  centuries  of  grinding 
oppression,  without  one  effort  to  educate  them  or  to  pro- 
mote their  advances  in  civilized  life.  The  single  exception 
which  can  be  made  to  this  remark  is  in  the  efforts  to  con- 
vert them  to  “ nuestra  santa  fe.”  And  as  to  the  masses, 
I have  before  remarked  that  these  efforts  have  done  little 
more  than  to  substitute  one  worship  of  images  for  another. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  cities  the  natives  professed 
the  Christian  religion;  many  of  them  from  fear,  others  from 
interest,  and  others  again  in  sincerity,  captivated  by  the 
thousand  objects  which  address  their  senses  and  excite  their 
feelings.  In  the  more  remote  and  secluded  portions  of  the 
country  they  worship  in  secret  the  same  grotesque  figures 
which  were  the  objects  of  the  devout  adoration  of  their 
early  ancestors.  A very  intelligent  Indian  promised  to 
procure  for  me  some  of  these  idols,  which,  failing  to  do,  he 
told  me  in  great  confidence,  knowing  that  I was  no  Catho- 
lic, that  the  Indians  who  had  them  would  not  sell  them  at 
any  price.  “ What,”  said  I,  “ do  they  still  worship  them  ?” 
“ Yes,  Sir,”  said  he,  “ with  as  much  devotion  as  they  ever 
did,  but  always  in  secret.”  The  principal  difference  that  I 
could  see  in  the  two  superstitions  was,  that  the  Christian 
images  were  the  handsomest.  But  I am  not  sure  that  in  this 
they  are  any  the  better  suited  to  the  notions  of  an  ignorant 
and  uncivilized  people,  whose  only  idea  of  a God  is  that  he 
is  powerful  and  revengeful ; and  hence  the  universality  of 
the  practice  of  all  savage  people,  of  offering  sacrifices  to 
propitiate  his  wrath.  With  such  an  idea  of  God,  I can 
conceive  of  nothing  better  than  an  ancient  Mexican  idol. 

From  the  best  attainable  data,  the  annual  exports  of  Mexico 
amount  to  about  twenty  millions — less  than  two  millions  of 


190 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP,  XX, 


•which  consist  of  all  other  articles  than  the  precious  metals. 
I have  no  doubt  that  the  amount  of  specie  exported  is  very 
much  larger  than  is  indicated  by  the  books  of  the  custom 
houses.  A duty  of  six  per  cent,  is  levied  upon  all  that  is  ex- 
ported, and  no  one  acquainted  with  the  character  and  prac- 
tices of  Mexican  custom  houses,  and  I may  add,  of  their 
officers,  can  believe  that  the  whole  amount  is  returned. 
The  duty  upon  all  that  is  not  returned  goes  into  the  pockets 
of  the  officers  of  the  customs,  and  I have  no  doubt  that  it 
amounts  to  a very  large  sum.  Gold  is  an  article  so  easily 
smuggled  that  enormous  sums  are  sent  off  in  almost  every 
vessel  which  sails  for  Europe.  The  amount  of  duties  on 
imports  varies,  of  course,  with  their  ever-changing  tariff. 
Those  who  had  the  best  means  of  forming  an  accurate 
estimate  during  my  residence  in  Mexico,  told  me  that  it 
amounted  to  from  four  to  six  millions  per  annum.  This, 
also,  would  be  a most  fallacious  standard  by  which  to  esti- 
mate the  amount  of  importations,  for  the  same  reason. 
Eminent  writers  upon  political  economy  say  that  any  duty 
above  twenty-five  per  cent,  offers  temptations  to  smuggling 
too  strong  to  be  resisted.  With  all  the  efforts  of  Buonaparte 
to  carry  out  his  continental  system,  he  was  unable  to  pre- 
vent smuggling  upon  the  very  limited  coast  of  France — and 
the  insurance  in  England  upon  a cargo  of  goods  intended 
to  be  smuggled  into  France  was  little  more  than  on  the 
same  cargo  to  be  regularly  imported.  How  extensive  must 
the  practice  be  in  a country  of  more  than  ten  thousand 
miles  of  seaboard  and  frontier,  and  with  so  sparse  a popu- 
lation! The  amount  of  revenue  from  imports  would  indi- 
cate an  importation  of  not  more  than  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars.  What  goes  with  the  other  five  millions  of  exports, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  large  amounts  of  specie  clandestinely 
exported  ? 


CHAP.  XX.] 


TAXATION. 


191 


In  addition  to  the  revenue  derived  from  imports,  the  di- 
rect taxes  are  exceedingly  onerous.  Everything  is  taxed, 
from  the  splendid  palaces,  coaches,  and  plate  of  the  wealthy, 
to  the  dozen  eggs  which  the  poor  Indian  brings  to  mar- 
ket. I do  not  suppose  there  is  any  city  in  the  world  where 
houses  are  taxed  so  high,  and  hence  the  enormous  rents. 
But  after  paying  the  taxes  very  little  is  left  to  the  proprietor. 
A decent  house  cannot  be  had  for  less  than  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  from  that  price  to  four  and  five  thousand 
dollars  per  annum. 

The  government  seems  to  have  been  engaged  in  the  ex- 
periment of  how  much  taxation  the  people  can  bear,  and 
they  have  really  achieved  a miracle  almost  as  great  as  that 
of  extracting  blood  from  a turnip.  There  is  no  country  in 
the  world,  which,  from  its  unsurpassed  climate,  variety  of 
productions  and  lands,  to  be  had  almost  for  the  taking,  which, 
in  proportion  to  its  population,  is  capable  of  producing  so 
much, — certainly  none  which  does  produce  so  little.  The 
population  of  Massachusetts  is  about  one-tenth  as  great  as 
that  of  Mexico,  and  its  productions  very  nearly  in  an  inverse 
ratio  with  the  number  of  the  respective  populations — exclud- 
ing the  produce  of  the  mines  very  much  more  than  in  that 
inversed  ratio.  Where  they  find  the  subjects  of  taxation 
was  a riddle  which  I was  unable  to  solve. 

Besides  the  sources  of  revenue  which  I have  mentioned, 
there  is  another  and  a very  large  one  from  imposts  on 
internal  commerce,  that  is  between  one  department  and 
another.  Every  article  of  commerce  thus  passing  from 
one  department  to  another,  provided  it  has  been  opened 
and  the  bulk  broken,  is  thus  taxed.  The  principal  revenue 
from  the  alcaba,  internal  duties,  thus  derived  is  from  the 
duty  on  specie.  The  revenue  from  duties  on  internal  com- 
merce in  1840,  amounted  to  four  millions  and  a half. 


192 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XX. 


Another  fruitful  source  of  revenue  is  the  percentage  of  the 
produce  of  the  mines,  seignorage,  coining,  &c.  The 
charges  upon  money  taken  from  the  mines  amount  to  about 
five  per  cent,  all  of  which  is  paid  to  the  departmental 
government.  The  General  Government  receives  in  addition 
to  this  about  three . per  cent,  which  goes  to  support  the 
College  of  the  Mineria  in  the  city  of  Mexico. 

The  tobacco  monopoly  has  heretofore  been  a source  of 
very  large  revenues  to  the  government.  The  culture  of 
tobacco  is  prohibited  except  to  a very  limited  extent  in  the 
districts  of  Orizaba  and  Cordova.  Each  farmer  is  restrict- 
ed to  a limited  number  of  acres.  The  tobacco  produced  is 
sold  to  the  government  at  a stated  price,  which  was  very 
much  below  its  real  value,  by  whose  agents  it  was  made 
into  cigars  and  snuff,  and  sold  at  very  large  profits.  I say 
made  into  cigars  and  snuff,  for  those  are  the  only  forms  in 
which  it  is  used ; I do  not  suppose  that  there  is  one  native 
Mexican  who  uses  tobacco  for  chewing.  Within  the  last 
three  years  this  monopoly  was  sold  by  the  government  to 
a private  company.  This  company  agreed  to  pay  850,000 
per  month  for  this  monopoly,  which  in  the  time  of  the  Vice 
Regal  government  yielded  the  enormous  sum  of  five  mil- 
lions per  annum.  This  contract  has  since  been  rescinded, 
and  the  government  still  possesses  the  monopoly,  which 
would  if  properly  managed,  and  if  smuggling  could  be  pre- 
vented, produce  very  nearly  as  much  at  this  time.  But  the 
latter  is  impossible,  and  the  receipts  from  this  source  very 
little  more  than  cover  the  expenses  of  the  establishment. 
At  all  events  the  net  proceeds  do  not  exceed  the  sum 
stipulated  to  be  paid  by  the  company  to  which  it  was  trans- 
ferred, that  is  to  say  8600,000  per  annum. 

A similar  sale  took  place  just  before  I left  Mexico  of  the 
interest  of  one  third  which  the  government  owned  in  the 


CHAP.  XX.] 


REVENUES. 


193 


Fresnillo  mine,  which  is  at  this  time  the  most  profitable  of 
all  the  mines  in  Mexico.  The  government  derived  a reve- 
nue of  upwards  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum 
from  this  mine,  which  it  nevertheless  sold  in  fee  simple  for 
about  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  That  is  to  say,  that 
sum  was  all  which  went  into  the  public  exchequer — how 
much  more  in  gratifications  I know  not ; but  a very  large 
sum  of  course.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  officers  in  the  army 
are  forced  to  sell  a certificate  of  pay  due  them  amounting 
to  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  ? 

Before  the  revolution  the  King  of  Spain  received  among 
other  Ecclesiastical  revenues,  the  ninth  part  of  the  tithes, 
which  was  granted  him  by  the  Pope.  After  the  revolution 
compulsory  process  for  the  collection  of  tithes  was  abolish- 
ed, and  since  that  time  the  government  has  received  no- 
thing from  this  source,  nor  am  I aware  of  any  other 
revenues  which  are  derived  from  the  church. 

There  are  revenues  derived  from  the  cock- pits,  the  sale 
of  pulque,  the  monopoly  of  playing  cards,  and  the  ice 
which  the  Indians  bring  on  their  backs  in  panniers,  from 
the  mountain  of  Popocatepelt,  a distance  of  forty  miles, 
which  last  has  amounted  to  as  much  as  fifty  thousand 
dollars  a year. 

Another  source  of  revenue  is  the  manufacture  of  gun- 
powder, of  which  an  immense  quantity  is  used,  not  only  in 
their  civil  wars,  but  in  the  mines,  firing  cannon  on  days  of 
religious  festivals,  and  fireworks,  for  which  the  Mexicans 
have  a great  passion.  The  powder  manufactured  in 
Mexico  is  of  the  most  inferior  quality  ; good  powder  such 
as  is  used  by  sportsmen  sells  as  high  as  four  dollars  the 
pound.  The  chief,  if  not  the  only  benefit  which  the  gov- 
10 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


194 


[chap.  XX. 


ernment  now  derives  from  this  source,  is  the  powder  which 
is  used  in  the  public  service. 

The  revenue  from  the  post-office  amounts  to  little  more 
than  what  is  required  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  establish- 
ment. It  would  be  very  much  larger  if  it  were  not  for  the 
numerous  government  expresses  which  are  charged  upon 
the  post-office  establishment. 

Some  small  amount  is  realized  from  the  sale  of  lottery 
tickets,  which  would.be  larger  but  for  special  grants  to  the 
convents  and  other  religious  establishments,  to  raise  funds 
by  lotteries. 

Heretofore  something  was  derived  from  the  manufac- 
tories of  salt,  of  which  a very  large  quantity  is  used.  In 
addition  to  the  consumption  in  the  ordinary  modes,  large 
quantities  are  used  in  the  process  of  amalgamation  in  the 
mints.  It  is  obtained  from  Yucatan  and  some  establishments 
in  the  northern  departments,  and  the  Lake  of  Tezcuco,  on 
the  borders  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  When  the  rainy  season 
ceases  and  the  waters  subside,  a large  portion  of  the  bed  of 
the  lake  is  covered  with  a deposit  of  salt  which  is  that 
chiefly  used  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city  of  Mexico. 

The  revenue  from  the  different  mints  is  considerable,  but 
there  are  no  data  from  which  it  can  be  accurately  stated. 
Heretofore  the  only  mint  was  that  in  the  city  of  Mexico, 
but  others  have  been  established  in  Guadalajara,  Guana- 
juato, Chihuahua,  Durango,  Zacatecas,  San  Louis,  Potosi 
and  Guadaloupe  de  Calvos.  The  profits  of  the  mint  in  the 
city  of  Mexico  were  at  one  time  very  great,  but  the  num- 
ber of  officers,  clerks  and  laborers  is  as  great  now  as  it  was 
when  there  was  no  other  in  Mexico,  and  of  consequence 
these  profits  are  very  much  diminished.  Most  of  these 
mints  are  leased  by  contract  to  private  companies  for  a 
stipulated  sum.  From  half  a million  to  a million  of  dollars 


CHAP.  XX.] 


REVENUES. 


195 


are,  probably,  derived  from  this  source.  The  per  cent- 
age  upon  the  metals  taken  from  the  mines,  which  is  25  cents 
upon  every  mark  of  silver,  or  about  3 per  cent,  will  give  say 
another  million  of  dollars,  and  there  are  other  duties  amount- 
ing to  about  five  per  cent.  These  last  are  appropriated  to 
the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  the  governments  of  the 
departments,  but  as  the  government  is  now  organized  these 
expenses  are  charged  to  the  central  government.  The 
three  per  cent,  above  mentioned  is  dedicated  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  Mineria  (the  College  of  Mines). 

Under  the  government  of  the  federalists,  each  depart- 
ment or  state  was  required  to  pay  a sum  which  was 
assessed  for  the  support  of  the  Federal  government,  as  was 
the  case  under  our  own  government  of  the  confederation — 
and,  as  with  us,  this  contingent  was  not  always  paid. 

Another  item  in  the  reports  of  the  Mexican  Secretaries 
of  the  Treasury  is  the  Discuatos  de  los  Invalidos  de  Monte 
Reo — which  was  a certain  per  centage  of  the  officers 
and  soldiers  which  was  retained  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing a pension  fund,  exactly  upon  the  plan  of  our  own 
Naval  Pension  Fund  ; but  as  the  army  are  never  paid  their 
full  wages,  this  fund  is  little  more  than  a fiction. 

The  maritime  custom-houses,  in  1832,  yielded  to  the  gov- 
ernment the  sum  of  twelve  millions,  that  is  to  say  that  sum 
was  acknowledged  to  have  been  received  by  the  respec- 
tive custom-house  officers ; how  much  more  the  actual 
receipts  were  can  only  be  conjectured.  It  would,  however, 
be  very  safe  to  say  at  least  one  third. 

The  receipts  at  the  Maritime  Custom  Houses  do  not  now 
amount  to  more  than  six  or  seven  millions.  As  nothing 
is  more  capricious  than  Mexican  legislation  on  the  subject 
of  imports  on  foreign  commerce,  it  is  very  difficult  to  form 
an  estimate  approximating  accuracy  upon  this  point 


196 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XX. 


Their  tariff  has  recently  been  reduced,  and  an  increase  of 
revenue  will  certainly  be  the  consequence.  Besides  the 
revenue  from  imports  as  shown  by  the  books  of  the  custom- 
house, a very  considerable  amount  is  derived  from  special 
licenses  given  to  private  companies  to  import  certain  arti- 
cles, such  as  cotton,  the  importation  of  which  is  prohibited, 
upon  the  payment  of  a stipulated  sum  to  the  government. 
The  receipts  of  the  interior  custom-houses  cannot  be  much 
less  than  those  in  the  seaports.  The  duty  on  money,  for 
example,  sent  from  Mexico  to  Vera  Cruz  to  be  exported, 
besides  the  duty  of  six  per  cent.,  is  five  per  cent.  All 
goods  sent  from  one  department  to  another  are  also  sub- 
ject to  a duty  if  the  bulk  has  been  broken. 

The  direct  taxes,  such  as  those  on  houses,  lands,  car- 
riages, and  horses,  transfers  of  all  property,  capitation  taxes 
cartos  de  seguridad  (letters  of  security),  which  all  foreign- 
ers are  required  to  have,  taxes  on  pulque,  ice,  in  short 
everything,  amount  to  some  three  or  four  millions. 

The  following,  although  not  pretending  to  minute  accu- 
racy, may  be  regarded  as  in  some  degree  an  approximation 
to  a correct  estimate  of  the  revenues  of  the  government, 
and  the  sources  from  which  they  are  derived : — 


From  the  Maritime  Custom-Houses, 

$6,500,000 

Interior  Commerce, 

. 4,500,000 

Direct  Taxes,  .... 

. 3,000,000 

Per  centage  on  Produce  of  Mines, 

. 1,000,000 

Profits  of  Mints,  .... 

. 500,000 

Tobacco  Monopoly,  . 

. 500,000 

Post-office,  Lotteries,  Manufactures 

of 

Powder  and  Salt,  . 

. 500,000 

Tolls  and  all  other  sources, 

. 500,000 

$16,000,000 


CHAP.  XX.]  DILAPIDATION  OF  ESTATES. 


197 


It  is  proper  to  add  to  this  amount  the  taxes  levied  by  the 
different  departments  which  may  be  stated  at  four  millions 
more,  making  an  aggregate  of  twenty-one  millions,  to  which 
an  addition  should  be  made  of  five  or  ten  millions  more 
which  is  paid,  but  embezzled,  and,  therefore,  does  not  find 
its  way  into  the  public  treasury. 

With  a government  wisely  and  honestly  administered, 
this  sum  is  more  than  is  necessary.  But  how  that  of 
Mexico  is  supported  with  it,  and  whence  it  is  derived,  are 
both,  as  I have  said,  inexplicable  to  me;  Besides  their 
army,  of  thirty  to  forty  thousand,  for  that  is  the  number  on 
the  pay  list,  and  an  immense  disproportion  of  this  army 
officers,  not  less  than  from  two  to  three  hundred  generals, 
an  otherwise  enormous  civil  list,  and  the  interest  on  a 
debt  very  little  short  of  a hundred  millions  of  dollars, 
there  are  a great  variety  of  other  and  extraordinary 
charges  upon  a government  so  unstable  and  revolutionary.* 
With  a productive  industry  at  least  fifty  times  as  great  as 
that  of  Mexico,  very  little  more  than  the  sum  above  stated 
is  levied  upon  our  people,  doubtless  not  so  much  if  we 
take  into  the  estimate  the  greater  expense  there  of  collec- 
tion, which  is  estimated  at  thirty  per  cent.  Taking  pecu- 
lations into  the  calculation,  I have  no  doubt  it  is  much 
more.  And  all  of  these  taxes  are  of  course,  like  all  taxes, 
ultimately  paid  by  the  people.  The  annual  expenditure  of 
the  Vice  regal  government  was  never  more  than  eight 
millions  of  dollars.  Can  it  be  true  that  it  costs  more  to 
execute  laws  made  by  the  people  themselves  than  the  edicts 
of  a despot  ? 

* The  Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  1832,  contains  an  esti- 
mate of  the  whole  expenses  of  the  government  for  the  next  year,  amount- 
ing to  $22,392,508.  Of  this  sum  the  estimate  for  the  army  is  stated  at 
$16,466,121. 


198 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XX. 


To  all  these  heavy  items  must  be  added  the  taxes  which 
are  levied  by  the  different  departments  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, the  heavy  exactions  of  tithes  and  other  compulsory 
contributions  to  the  church.  These  last  have  been  esti- 
mated at  two  millions,  but  they  must  greatly  exceed  that 
amount.  There  are  in  the  city  of  Mexico  alone,  seven  or 
eight  hundred  secular  and  near  two  thousand  regular 
clergy.  The  salaries  of  some  of  them  are  enormous. 
Under  the  Vice  regal  government  the  various  perquisites 
and  salary  of  the  archbishop  amounted  to  $130,000,  and 
those  of  several  of  the  bishops  to  $100,000,  but  they  are  all 
much  less  now.  Exclusively  of  donations  and  birth-day 
presents,  which  are  often  very  large,  the  archbishop  does 
not  receive  more  than  thirty  or  forty  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  incomes  of  the  bishops  are  proportionately  reduced. 

Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  amount  of  these  birth- 
day presents,  from  the  fact  that  General  Santa  Anna,  on 
the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  has  been  known  to  receive 
presents  to  the  amount  of  $20,000. 

All  these  enormous  charges  are  to  be  paid  out  of  the 
productions  of  a country  where  less  is  produced  than  in 
any  other,  except  from  the  mines.  Perhaps  the  universal 
dilapidation  of  all  the  old  and  large  estates  may  indicate 
the  quarter  from  which  much  of  the  revenue  has  hitherto 
been  derived. 

The  large  estates  and  possessions  of  the  banished  Jesuits 
have  supplied  the  government  with  very  large  sums.  But 
these,  with  the  mine  of  Fresnillo,  have  all  been  sold  and  the 
money  wasted.  These  spendthrift  expedients. of  selling 
estates  to  pay  current  expenses  must  soon  have,  if  they  have 
not  already,  an  end  ; and  I do  not  see  how  even  an  econom- 
ical and  frugal  administration  will,  in  future,  be  able  to  find 
the  means  of  defraying  even  the  necessary  expenses  of  the 


CHAP.  XX.]  DILAPIDATION  OF  ESTATES. 


199 


government,  and.  this  is  perhaps  the  greatest  of  all  the  many 
difficulties  which  are  to  be  overcome. 

There  are  not  many  wealthy  men  in  the  city  of  Mexico, 
fewer  I think  than  in  any  city  in  the  United  States  of 
treble  the  same  size.  The  larger  number  of  these  are  per- 
sons who  have  made  their  fortunes  by  government  con- 
tracts and  speculations  in  government  stocks.  Most  of  the 
large  estates  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  have 
become  dilapidated.  These  large  estates  were  chiefly,  if  not 
entirely,  owned  by  Spaniards  who  were  generally  the  adhe- 
rents of  the  cause  of  the  mother  country,  for  the  maxim  of 
Juvenal,  “ Quantum  quisquis  habet  in  urbe  tantum  habet 
et  fidei,”  is  as  true  now  as  it  was  when  the  line  was  written. 
An  incident  occurred  which  afforded  me  a distressing 
proof  of  the  ruin  which  the  revolution  had  caused  to  the 
loyalists  of  Mexico,  and  at  the  same  time  a gratifying  evi- 
dence of  the  estimate,  which  was  general  there,  of  the  influ- 
ence of  my  government. 

A poor  fellow  in  rags  called  to  see  me,  and  asked  my 
aid  in  procuring  indemnity  for  an  estate  of  his  father, 
amounting  to  five  or  six  millions,  which  had  been  appro- 
priated by  one  of  the  patriotic  Generals  to  the  use  of  his 
army,  during  the  war  of  Independence.  I told  him  that  as 
he  was  not  an  American  citizen,  I could  not  assist  him  in 
my  official  capacity,  and  that  it  was  not  proper  that  I 
should  do  so  in  any  other  way.  He  then  asked  me 
whether  if  he  were  to  come  to  the  United  States  and  be- 
come a citizen,  I could  not  then  interpose  in  his  behalf.  I 
told  him  that  I could  not,  I had,  however,  some  curiosity 
to  look  into  his  papers,  which  furnished  the  most  conclusive 
evidence  of  the  justice  of  his  claim.  Such  cases  were  not 
at  all  uncommon. 

I have  rarely  met  with  a more  accomplished  and  elegant 


200 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XX. 


lady  than  the  venerable  old  Countess  who  is  so  gratefully 
and  affectionately  mentioned  by  Mr.  Brantz  Mayer.  She 
was  reduced  from  great  opulence  to  extreme  poverty, 
but  with  the  great  penury  which  her  household  exhi- 
bited, she  showed  in  her  manners,  conversation  and  senti- 
ments, all  of  the  high  bred  Castilian  lady. 

Machiavel  says  that  in  a new  government  everything 
should  be  new.  “ Whoever  makes  himself  head  of  a state 
(especially  if  he  suspects  his  ability  to  keep  it)  must,  as  the 
best  course,  make  everything  as  new  as  himself, — alter  the 
magistracy,  create  new  titles,  confer  new  authorities,  un- 
charter corporations,  advance  the  poor,  impoverish  the  rich  ; 
and  what  is  said  of  David  may  be  said  of  him — ‘ he  filled  the 
hungry  with  good  things  and  the  rich  he  sent  empty  away / 
The  Mexican  revolutionists  at  least  resembled  David  in 
one  half  of  what  is  said  of  him— but  only  in  that  half. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Prohibition  of  Raw  Cotton — Attempts  to  procure  a Modification  of  this 
Policy — Public  Debt  of  Mexico — Mines  of  the  Precious  Metals — Present 
Productiveness — Undeveloped  Resources — Capacities  of  Mexico  if  inha- 
bited by  the  people  of  the  United  States. 

The  article  of  raw  cotton  is  one  of  the  articles  which  are 
prohibited.  The  home  supply  is  never  equal  to  the  very 
small  demand  of  their  own  manufacturers,  and  the  law  is, 
therefore,  relaxed  very  frequently. 

The  privilege  of  importing  a certain  number  of  bales  is 
granted  to  some  commercial  company  for  a stipulated  sum, 
paid  to  the  government,  and,  as  it  was  said,  a douceur  not 
less  in  amount  to  the  officers  of  the  government. 

I made  very  great  exertions  to  procure  a modification 
of  this  prohibitory  policy,  more  particularly  as  to  raw  cot- 
ton and  coarse  cotton  goods,  but  in  vain.  I found  Santa 
Anna  thoroughly  armed  with  all  the  arguments  in  favor  of 
the  protective  policy,  and  I confess  that  I think  that  if  there 
is  a country  in  the  world  where  that  policy  is  wise,  that 
Mexico  is  that  country.  Every  Mexican  who  can  be 
tempted  to  labor  is  just  that  much  gained  to  the  productive- 
ness as  well  as  to  the  morals  of  the  country ; and,  if  they 
could  be  generally  so  tempted,  too  high  a price  could  not 
well  be  paid  for  such  a boon. 

The  public  debt  of  Mexico  may  be,  I think,  safely  stated 
to  be  little,  if  anything,  less  than  a hundred  millions  of  dol- 
lars. Of  this  amount,  something  more  than  sixty  millions 
are  due  to  foreigners,  including  a debt  of  thirty-six  millions 
in* 


202 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XXI. 


of  the  Yice-royal  Government,  which  was  assumed  by- 
Mexico  after  her  independence,  and  twenty-five  millions 
more  to  Mexican  citizens.  A large  portion  of  this  debt  was 
originally  in  the  form  of  Treasury  notes,  receivable  at  the 
Custom  House.  This  was  the  estimate  when  I left  Mexico, 
near  two  years  ago.  Since  that  time  there  have  been  two 
revolutions — and  revolutions  are  nowhere  unexpensive — so 
that,  including  these  and  all  other  floating  and  unliquidated 
demands,  such  as  the  claims  of  our  own  citizens  for  in- 
demnity, I am  very  confident  that  the  whole  public  debt 
does  not  fall  short  of  the  amount  which  I have  stated. 

According  to  Humboldt,  there  were  three  thousand  mines 
of  the  precious  metals  in  Mexico  in  1804.  Since  that  time 
many  more  have,  no  doubt,  been  discovered.  Any  one 
who  discovers  a new  mine  receives  a grant  from  the 
government  for  a certain  portion  of  land,  including  the 
mine.  Not  one-fiftieth  of  these  mines  are  worked,  which 
is  attributed,  in  a great  degree,  to  the  high  price  of  quick- 
silver. This  is  caused  by  the  monopoly,  by  the  Rothschilds, 
of  the  quicksilver  mines  of  Spain,  from  which  the  article  is 
chiefly  supplied. 

There  are  no  veins  of  gold  ore  which  have  yet  been  dis- 
covered in  Mexico,  with  the  exception  of  a few  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Oaxaca.  A very  small  amount  of  gold  is 
obtained  from  working  the  earth  of  deposit  mines.  The 
principal  portion  of  the  gold  is  found  in  combination  with 
silver  ores.  The  ores  of  Guanahuato  afford  the  largest 
proportion  of  gold,  which  is  about  three  pennyweights  of 
gold  to  one  mark  of  silver.  Where  the  proportion  of  gold 
thus  combined  with  silver  is  small,  they  are  never  separated, 
the  amount  of  gold  not  being  an  adequate  compensation  for 
the  very  expensive  process  of  separation.  These  ores  are 
principally  found  in  veins  of  various  width,  and  generally 


CHAP.  XXI.] 


MINES. 


203 


with  a dip  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  and  always  in  beds 
of  primitive  rock,  most  commonly  porphyry.  In  this,  I 
think,  they  differ  from  the  mines  yet  discovered  in  this 
country ; I know  of  none  which  have  been  found  in  that 
species  of  rock. 

The  produce  of  the  mines  of  Mexico  is  quite  as  large,  or 
larger,  now  than  at  any  other  period,  taking  an  average  of 
ten  years,  but  nothing  so  profitable  to  the  proprietors, 
owing  to  the  immense  investments  in  machinery,  and  the 
greater  labor  of  raising  the  ores  now  compared  with  the 
rude  and  unexpensive  machinery  heretofore  used,  and  the 
comparatively  small  labor  of  taking  out  the  ores.  The 
company  which  now  owns  the  great  mine  of  Real  del 
Monte  have,  in  the  last  few  years,  expended,  in  machinery 
and  other  ways,  several  millions  of  dollars.  The  shaft  of 
that  mine  is  nearly  a thousand  yards  deep.  Baron  Hum- 
boldt gives  the  gross  produce  of  the  mines  of  Mexico,  from 
1690  to  1803,  both  years  inclusive,  as  amounting  to 
$1,358,452,020,  about  twelve  millions  of  dollars  per  annum. 
The  highest  amount,  which  was  in  the  year  1796,  was 
$25,644,566.  The  produce  of  the  year  1804  he  states  at 
$24,000,000.  Mr.  Ward  estimates  the  annual  produce,  for 
a few  years  prior  to  1810,  at  $24,000,000.  After  that 
period,  from  the  revolutionary  condition  of  the  country,  it 
dwindled  almost  to  nothing — in  one  year  to  three  and  a 
half  millions  of  dollars.  The  official  returns  for  the  year 
1842  exhibit  an  exportation  of  gold  a$d  silver,  as  registered 
at  the  Custom  Houses,  amounting  to  $18,500,000.  The 
facility  with  which  large  values  in  gold  may  be  concealed, 
and  thus  clandestinely  exported,  and  the  temptation  to  do 
so  from  the  high  duty  of  six  per  cent,  on  exportation, 
caused  a very  large  amount  to  be  smuggled.  That  this 
was  extensively  practised  was  known  to  every  one  in 
Mexico.  To  form  any  accurate  estimate  of  the  amount  of 


/ 


204  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXI. 

the  exports  of  specie,  a very  large  addition  must  be  made 
on  this  account.  Three  or  four  millions  would  scarcely 
cover  it.  Add  to  these  the  amount  retained  in  the  country, 
and  it  will  be  very  safe  to  assume  the  present  produce  of 
the  mines  at  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-four  millions  of 
dollars  per  annum.  The  whole  amount  coined  at  the  mint 
in  the  city  of  Mexico  since  the  Conquest  is  $443,000,000  ; 
since  1690,  $295,968,750.  Mining  in  Mexico,  as  every- 
where else,  is  a game  of  chance  ; and,  like  all  games  of 
chance,  there  are  many  more  losers  than  winners  amongst 
those  who  play  at  it. 

It  is  risking  very  little  to  say  that  if  Mexico  was  inhabited 
by  our  race,  that  the  produce  of  the  mines  would  be  at 
least  five  times  as  great  as  it  now  is.  There  is  not  a mine 
which  would  not  be  worked,  and  as  many  more  new  ones 
discovered.  In  five  years,  with  such  a population,  and  only 
of  an  equal  number  with  that  which  Mexico  now  has,  I do 
not  hesitate  to  assert  that  the  mineral  and  agricultural  ex- 
ports alone  would  nearly  equal  all  the  exports  of  any  other 
country  of  the  world.  The  last  time  I examined  the  tables 
upon  that  subject,  the  whole  exports  of  the  produce  of  Bri- 
tish labor  was  about  two  hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  dol- 
lars per  annum.  Mexico  in  the  possession  of  another  race 
would  approach  that  amount  in  ten  years.  Recent  mani- 
festations of  a rabid,  I will  not  say  a rapacious,  spirit  of 
acquisition  of  more  territory  on  the  part  of  our  countrymen 
may  w^ell  cause  a race  so  inferior  in  all  the  elements  of 
power  and  greatness  to  tremble  for  the  tenure  by  which 
they  hold  this  El  Dorado.  ’Tis  not  often,  with  nations  at 
least,  that  such  temptations  are  resisted,  or  that  “ danger 
winks  on  opportunity.”  I trust,  however,  that  our  maxim 
will  ever  be — “ Noble  ends  by  worthy  means  attained,”  and 
that  we  may  remember  that  wealth  improperly  acquired 
never  ultimately  benefited  an  individual  or  a nation. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Want  of  Navigable  Streams  in  Mexico — Railroad  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mex- 
ico— Valley  of  the  Mississippi — Mineral  and  Vegetable  Productions — 
Cotton — Rice — Wax — Silk — Manufactures  of  Cotton — Mechanic  Arts. 

It  would  seem  that  the  only  valuable  gift  which  a bountiful 
Providence  has  withheld  from  Mexico  is  that  of  navi- 
gable streams.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  a steamboat 
running  a single  mile  in  any  river  in  the  whole  Republic. 
Perhaps  there  are  not  five  hundred  miles  of  all  their  rivers 
which  are  navigable  for  boats  of  the  smallest  size.  It  may 
be  that  the  progressive  improvements  in  the  science  of  rail- 
roads may  furnish  the  means  of  supplying  this  defect.  I 
do  not  doubt  that  a railroad  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  city  of 
Mexico,  constructed  at  almost  any  cost,  would  be  extremely 
profitable  to  the  stockholders.  A very  large  proportion  of 
all  the  European  manufactures  and  merchandise  which  are 
consumed  in  all  Mexico  are  landed  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  car- 
ried to  the  city  of  Mexico  on  mules,  at  a very  high  rate  of 
freight,  and  thence  distributed  all  over  the  Republic.  The 
distance  from  the  city  of  Mexico  to  Acapulco  is  not  more 
than  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles,  and  by  extending  the 
railroad  to  that  point  the  great  desideratum  of  a connection 
between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  would  be  accom- 
plished. The  elevation  to  be  overcome  is  about  eight 
thousand  five  hundred  feet.  I am  not  sufficiently  versed  in 
such  matters  to  say  whether  the  thing  is  practical,  but  if  it 
is,  I should  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  investment 


206 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XXII. 


would  pay  a good  interest  even  if  the  road  should  cost  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars  a mile.  The  commerce  of  Mex- 
ico alone  would  insure  this ; and  if  to  that  can  be  added 
the  immense  trade  of  India  and  China,  it  would  be  difficult 
even  to  conjecture  the  future  profits.  I have  not  much 
faith  in  the  Indian  race  ever  being  induced  to  labor — but  if 
anything  could  accomplish  this,  it  would  be  such  a measure 
as  I have  indicated.  Industry  languishes  without  adequate 
reward  ; and  there  is  nothing  which  so  stimulates  produc- 
tion as  the  facility  of  transportation.  I believe  that  next 
to  the  influence  of  our  free  institutions,  there  is  no  other  ele- 
ment of  the  future  greatness  and  power  of  this  country  in 
any  degree  equal  in  importance  to  the  Mississippi  river.  I 
remember  to  have  read  in  some  of  the  memoirs  of  Buona- 
parte, I think  in  the  volume  written  by  the  Abbe  Marbeuf, 
an  account  of  the  discussion  between  Talleyrand  and  Buo- 
naparte when  the  latter  was  about  to  cede  Louisiana  to  the 
United  States,  very  much  in  opposition  to  the  advice  of 
Talleyrand  ; but  Buonaparte,  who  was  very  much  the  more 
far-seeing  man,  knew  that  England  would  have  seized  upon 
it,  and  therefore  wisely  determined  to  put  it  out  of  harm’s 
way.  Talleyrand  said  to  him  in  this  discussion,  “You 
have  been  anxious  to  build  up  a navy.  No  nation  ever  had 
a powerful  military  marine  without  first  having  a large 
commercial  one  ; this  you  cannot  have  without  commerce. 
This  country  of  Louisiana  is  capable  of  supplying  every 
want  which  France  itself  does  not  produce,  and  in  the  in- 
terchange of  these  you  may  build  up  an  extensive  and  pros- 
perous commerce.”  All  of  this  is  true. 

Most  of  the  other  large  rivers  of  the  world  run  through 
very  much  the  same  lines  of  latitude ; not  so  with  the 
Mississippi,  which  flows  through  regions  affording  almost 
every  climate  inhabited  by  civilized  man,  and  supplies  the 


CHAP.  XXII.]  MINERAL  AND  VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS.  207 

productions,  mineral  and  agricultural,  of  every  part  of  the 
globe — the  peltries  of  the  frozen  forests  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  the  grains  of  the  north-western  States,  the  cot- 
ton, sugar,  and  rice  of  the  south-western,  and  lower  down, 
the  fruits  of  the  tropic.  We  may  get  into  a steamboat  at 
the  Balize,  and  ascend  the  river  two  thousand  miles  to  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  without  any  perceptible  difference  in 
the  width  or  breadth  of  the  stream,  bordered  for  the 
whole  length  with  the  broadest  and  most  fertile  lands  in  the 
world.  Then,  there  are  the  Red  River,  Arkansas  and  Mis- 
souri, navigable  for  two  or  three  thousand  miles,  and  ter- 
minating in  as  yet  a terra  incognita , — to  say  nothing  of 
the  Ohio,  Cumberland,  Tennessee  and  many  others,  any 
of  which  would  be  regarded  as  great  rivers  anywhere 
else.  Malthus  would  never  have  felt  any  fears,  if  he  had 
ascended  the  Mississippi,  of  population  overrunning  sub- 
sistence. No  one  who  has  never  ascended  that  river,  can 
have  any  adequate  conception  of  the  population,  wealth, 
and  power,  to  which  the  country  which  it  washes  is  cer- 
tainly destined. 

Perhaps,  in  one  point  of  view,  the  Mexicans  are  fortu- 
nate in  having  no  such  river,  for  if  they  had  it  is  not 
possible  that  they  would  be  permitted  to  retain  the  pos- 
session of  the  country — nor  unless  they  improve  the  advan- 
tages so  profusely  showered  upon  a land  so  favored  would 
it  be  right  that  they  should. 

There  are  not  only  no  navigable  streams  in  Mexico,  but 
very  few  of  any  sort  in  the  portions  of  the  country  which  I 
visited  : I do  not  think  that  the  road  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the 
city  of  Puebla  crosses  running  water  a dozen  times  in  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  There  is  scarcely  any 
timber  of  any  description  on  the  table  lands  of  Mexico. 
The  loftier  mountains  which  rise  above  these  table  lands 


208 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXII. 


are  very  well  timbered.  This  deficiency  causes  the  less 
inconvenience  as  the  Maguey  affords  not  only  a cheap  and 
secure  fence,  but  w7hen  it  matures  it  is  a source  of  large 
profit,  and  as  for  fire,  they  need  none  except  for  cooking. 
The  fuel  used  for  that  purpose  is  charcoal,  brought  by 
the  Indians  from  the  mountains  in  panniers  and  sold  very 
cheap. 

From  the  data  hei'etofore  given,  the  reader  will  perceive 
that  the  productive  labor  of  Mexico,  beyond  the  supply  of 
the  means  of  subsistence,  means  almost  exclusively  that 
which  is  employed  in  mining  operations,  and  that  those 
operations  are  very  much  confined  to  the  precious  metals. 
No  country  more  abounds  in  large  masses  of  iron  ore, 
and  it  so  happens  that  the  regions  where  it  is  found  are 
well  timbered  and  are  capable  of  supplying  at  little  cost 
the  fuel  for  its  manufacture,  yet  very  little  iron  is  made 
there ; there  may  be  one  or  two  iron  furnaces,  possibly 
more,  but  the  greater  portion  of  what  is  used  is  imported. 
The  quantity  used,  however,  is  probably  less  than  in  any 
other  of  the  same  population.  Horses,  for  instance,  are 
never  shod,  and  it  is  curious  to  see  them  galloping  unshod 
over  the  streets  paved  with  stones. 

Tin,  lead,  and  the  finest  copper  are  also  found  there 
in  large  bodies,  but  very  little  of  either  is  taken  from  the 
mines. 

Cochineal,  cocoa,  vanilla,  jalap  and  hides  are  the  princi- 
pal, I may  say,  the  only  articles  of  export,  except  the  pre- 
cious metals.  These  vary  in  amount  from  one  to  two 
millions  a year. 

Two  crops  may  be  raised  in  the  year  in  much  the  larger 
portion  of  Mexico.  This,  however,  is  rarely  done,  for  the 
people  are  too  indolent  to  cultivate  even  one.  I believe 
that  this  is  in  a great  degree  attributable  to  the  want  of 


CHAP.  XXII.]  MINERAL  AND  VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS.  209 

transportation  and  a convenient  market.  The  farmers 
make  enough  to  supply  the  domestic  demand,  and  if  they 
made  twice  as  much  they  would  probably  receive  a smaller 
gross  sum  for  it. 

The  immense  estates  of  which  I have  spoken  of  eighty 
and  100  leagues  square,  with  eighty  or  a hundred  thou- 
sand cattle,  and  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  mules  and  horses, 
yield  very  little  profit.  Perhaps  not  one  acre  out  of  ten 
thousand  on  these  estates  is  cultivated.  The  grass  is  green 
all  the  year  round,  and  their  horses  and  cattle  receive  and 
seem  to  require  no  other  food ; they  multiply  as  the  birds 
do,  and  with  little  more  profit  to  the  proprietors  of  the 
estates.  Now  and  then,  the  government  purchases  five 
hundred  or  a thousand  horses  for  the  army,  but,  with 
this  exception,  there  are  very  few  occasions  when  they  can 
be  sold.  The  average  price  for  droves  of  unbroken  horses 
is  eight  or  ten  dollars  a head,  and  mules  the  same.  The 
mules  are  generally  small,  but  by  no  means  too  small  for 
any  service,  nor  smaller  than  those  frequently  used  in  this 
country.  I have  seen  mules,  however,  in  Mexico,  as  large 
as  any  I have  ever  seen  elsewhere.  The  most  of  these 
are  brought  from  California,  and  other  departments  north 
of  Mexico  ; a pair  of  these  large  mules  will  sell  for  a 
thousand  dollars,  and  that  sum  has  frequently  been  paid 
for  one  fine  saddle  mule. 

I have  before  remarked  that  enough  cotton  is  not  raised 
to  supply  the  very  limited  demand  of  the  Mexican  manu- 
facturers. The  most  of  this  is  produced  in  the  districts 
which  lie  upon  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but  the  climate  of  nearly 
all  Mexico  is  suited  to  the  growth  of  cotton.  I can  see  no 
reason  why  it  is  not  produced  in  much  larger  quantities, 
bearing,  as  it  does,  so  enormous  a price,  except  the  charac- 
teristic indolence  of  the  people.  If  the  country  was  occu- 


210 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXII. 


pied  by  a population  from  this  country  equal  to  that  of 
Mexico,  the  amount  of  cotton  produced  in  the  world  would 
be  doubled. 

A sufficient  quantity  of  rice  is  produced  to  supply  the 
domestic  demand.  It  is  very  generally  used. 

An  immense  quantity  of  beeswax  is  consumed,  as  may 
well  be  supposed  from  the  number  of  churches,  in  all  of 
which  wTax  candles  are  always  kept  burning,  as  well  as  in 
their  religious  processions — from  the  visit  of  a poor  priest 
to  a dying  lepero  to  a procession  of  thirty  or  forty  thousand 
on  the  festival  of  Corpus  Christi.  But  they  will  not  make 
a sufficient  supply  even  of  this  article.  Large  quantities 
are  annually  imported. 

Very  little  silk  is  made  in  Mexico.  A company,  how- 
ever, has  lately  been  organized  for  the  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing the  culture  extensively,  and  has  sent  an  agent  to 
France  as  preliminary  to  that  object.  I should  think  that 
no  country  in  the  world  offered  more,  if  as  many,  advan- 
tages for  the  raising  the  silk-worm  and  making  silk. 

Last,  and  by  no  means  least,  is  the  cultivation  of  the 
maguey,  or  American  aloe,  the  juice  of  which,  after  fer- 
mentation, is  the  great  Mexican  drink — pulque.  No  other 
culture  in  Mexico  is  half  so  profitable.  It  is  perhaps  inac- 
curate to  say  culture,  for  no  labor  whatever  is  bestowed 
upon  the  plant  after  it  is  first  put  in  the  ground. 

I have  no  data  from  which  to  form  even  a conjecture  of 
the  number  of  yards  of  coarse  cottons  which  are  annually 
manufactured  in  Mexico.  It  is  estimated  that  eight  mil- 
lions of  dollars  are  invested  in  these  manufactories.  From 
that  fact  those  skilled  in  such  matters  may  be  able  to  form 
some  estimate  of  the  quantity  manufactured.  It  would 
be  well,  however,  in  making  such  an  estimate  to  consider 
that  the  same  machinery  could  be  put  up  in  this  country  at 


CHAP.  XXII.] 


MECHANIC  ARTS. 


211 


one-third  of  what  it  has  cost  in  Mexico,  and  that  an  esta- 
blishment in  which  the  managers  and  operatives  were 
Americans  would  probably  make  at  least  five  yards  for 
one.  With  the  exception  of  a few  of  the  manufactories  in 
Puebla  the  business  of  manufacturing  cotton  has  not  been 
profitable  in  Mexico.  One  or  two  Americans  have  gone 
there  and  attempted  it,  but  their  experiments  have  ended  in 
bankruptcy. 

The  mechanical  arts  are  in  a low  condition.  Most  of  the 
articles  of  every  description  which  are  used  there  are 
brought  from  other  countries,  with  the  exception  of  plate, 
saddles  and  a few  others.  Large  quantities  of  plate  are 
manufactured  both  for  churches  and  individuals.  I never 
saw  a handsome  piece,  however,  which  was  made  there. 
They  say  that  the  saddlers  of  no  other  country  can  make 
a Mexican  saddle.  I do  not  think  any  decent  saddler  would 
if  he  could.  There  are  two  articles,  however,  which  I be- 
lieve have  never  been  manufactured  in  any  other  country 
— the  rebozo  (a  long  shawl  worn  by  the  women),  and  the 
sarape,  which  is  used  all  the  year  round  by  the  men.  The 
rebozo  is  made  either  of  cotton  or  silk,  and  sometimes  one- 
half  of  each.  Those  made  of  cotton  are  most  esteemed, 
and  sell  for  the  highest  price.  They  sell  for  from  twenty 
to  fifty  and  a hundred  dollars.  If  they  could  be  made  as 
other  similar  fabrics  are,  by  European  skill  and  machinery, 
they  would  not  cost  ten  dollars.  The  sarape  is  nothing 
more  than  a blanket,  the  warp  of  cotton  and  the  filling  of 
wool,  with  all  the  fantastical  figures  woven  upon  it  which 
characterize  the  Indian  taste  for  wampum  and  beads. 
They  sell  at  from  three  dollars  to  three  hundred.  In  summer 
or  winter  nearly  every  Indian  you  meet  has  one  thrown 
over  his  shoulders,  and  in  the  rainy  season  no  man  rides 
five  miles  without  one. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


A Miscellany  Chapter— Three  Lions  of  Mexico — Calendar  Stone— Burial 
Ground  of  Santa  Maria — The  Paseo — Santa  Anna’s  Coach  driven  by  an 
American — Reflections — Mexican  Carriages— Costly  Equipage — Mexi- 
can Women  on  Horseback — The  Theatre — The  Bull  Fight — Mean  Tem- 
perature— Character  of  the  Mexicans,  by  Clavigero. 

There  are  so  many  things  in  Mexico  of  a character  so 
unique,  and  to  an  American  so  new  and  striking,  that  there 
is  great  danger  of  falling  into  a wearisome  tediousness  and 
drivelling  on  the  one  hand,  or  omitting  many  objects  of 
interest  on  the  other.  And  as  most  readers  will  more 
readily  pardon  the  latter  fault,  I will  hasten  to  a conclusion, 
that  I may  turn  to  other  more  pleasant  and  profitable  occu- 
pations. The  reader  will  find  this  chapter  a.  sort  of 
melange  of  such  disjointed  recollections  as  my  memory 
may  serve  me  with — and  of  course  without  any  harmony 
or  coincidence — as  a frugal  housewife  makes  a carpet  or  a 
bed-quilt  of  all  the  scraps  which  she  may  happen  to  have 
on  hand. 

As  to  the  physical  circumstances  of  the  country,  or  more 
exact  information  as  to  the  mines  or  other  matters  of  that 
character,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  work  of  Baron 
Humboldt.  As  to  the  early  history  of  Mexico  nothing  can 
be  added  to  the  comprehensive  and  elaborate  work  of  the 
Abbe  Clavigero  ; and  a very  full  account  of  the  antiquities 
of  the  country  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Brantz  Mayer’s  book. 

I have  mentioned  two  of  the  three  things  in  Mexico 


CHAP.  XXIII.] 


CALENDAR  STONE. 


213 


which  are  first  shown  to  every  foreigner,  the  Colossal 
Equestrian  Statue  in  bronze  of  Charles  IV.  of  Spain,  and 
the  great  Sacrificial  Stone.  I must  not  slight  the  third  and 
much  the  most  important  of  the  three — Montezuma’s  Dial  as 
it  is  called,  which  has  been  worked  into  the  corner  of  the 
cathedral. 

It  is  a large  mass  of  porphyritic  stone  of  ten  feet  diame- 
ter, and  circular  shape.  In  the  centre  is  a human  head 
with  the  tongue  hanging  out,  cut  in  relief ; around  this 
head  are  five  circles  of  hieroglyphic  figures,  intended  for 
the  computation  of  the  different  divisions  of  time  in  the  Cal- 
endar of  the  ancient  Mexicans.  Their  civil  year  was 
divided  into  eighteen  months  of  twenty  days  each.  The 
five  intercalary  days  were  added  to  the  last  month, 
and  the  fractions  of  hours  were  computed  at  the  end  of  a 
cycle  of  fifty-two  years.  Thirteen  years  constituted  a 
tlalpilli, — four  of  these  a cycle  of  fifty-two  years,  which 
were  represented  by  bundles  of  reeds  bound  together  with 
a string, — two  of  these  cycles  of  fifty-two  years  constituted 
another  division  of  a hundred  and  four  years,  which  was 
called  an  old  age.  I do  not  remember  the  Mexican  term. 
I copy  the  following  extract  of  a very  interesting  letter 
upon  the  subject  from  the  Abbe  Hervas  to  Clavigero  : — 

“ The  Mexican  year  began  on  the  26th  of  February — a day  celebrated 
in  the  era  of  Nabonassar,  which  was  fixed  by  the  Egyptians  747  years 
before  the  Christian  era — for  the  beginning  of  their  month  Toth,  corres- 
ponding with  the  meridian  of  the  same  day.  If  these  priests  fixed  upon 
this  day  as  an  epoch  because  it  was  celebrated  in  Egypt,  we  have  there 
the  Mexican  calendar  agreeing  with  the  Egyptian.  But  independent  of 
this,  it  is  certain  that  the  Mexican  calendar  corresponded  greatly  with 
the  Egyptian.  On  the  26th  day  of  February  of  the  above  mentioned 
year,  according  to  the  meridian  of  Alexandria,  which  was  built  three 
centuries  after,  the  year  properly  began. 


214 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIII. 


“ The  year  and  century  have,  from  time  immemorial,  been  regulated  by 
the  Mexicans  with  a degree  of  intelligence  which  does  not  at  all  cor- 
respond with  their  arts  and  sciences.  In  them  they  were  certainly  very 
inferior  to  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  but  the  discernment  which  appears 
in  their  calendar  equals  them  to  the  most  enlightened  nations.  Hence 
we  may  imagine  that  this  calendar  has  not  been  the  discovery  of  the 
Mexicans,  but  that  they  have  received  it  from  some  more  enlightened  peo- 
ple, and  as  the  last  are  not  to  be  found  in  America,  we  must  seek  for 
them  elsewhere,  in  Asia  or  in  Egypt.  This  circumstance  is  confirmed 
by  your  affirmation  that  the  Mexicans  had  their  calendar  from  the 
Taltecas  (originating  from  Asia),  whose  year  according  to  Boturini  was 
exactly  adjusted  by  the  course  of  the  sun — more  than  a hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era ; — and  also  from  observing  that  other  nations, 
namely,  the  Chiapanese,  made  use  of  the  same  calendar  with  the  Mexi- 
cans, without  any  difference  but  that  of  their  symbols.” 

How  greatly  it  is  to  be  desired  that  some  clue  may  yet 
be  found  to  the  Mexican  hieroglyphics — how  much  light 
would  thereby  be  shed  not  only  upon  the  question  whence 
came  the  settlers  of  this  continent,  but  also  upon  the  history 
of  our  race  ! The  reckless  fanaticism  of  the  conquerors  left 
no  monument  of  Mexican  superstition  or  history,  which  it 
was  possible  for  them  to  destroy, — there  is  not  a vestige 
in  the  city  of  Mexico  of  the  architecture  of  its  ancient  in- 
habitants. The  reader  is  aware  that  so  obstinate  was  the 
resistance  of  the  Mexicans  in  the  last  and  successful  siege, 
that  Cortes  was  forced  to  tear  down  every  house,  and  that, 
literally,  he  won  not  the  great  city  of  the  Aztecs,  but  one 
vast  heap  of  ruins. 

The  burial-ground  of  Santa  Maria  in  Mexico  is  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  kind  I have  ever  seen — and  it  is  really  not 
a misapplication  of  the  term  beautiful,  to  apply  it  to  a 
graveyard  such  as  this.  It  is  a space  of  ground  of  some 
eight  or  ten  acres,  enclosed  with  a stone  wall  about  fifteen 
feet  high  and  ten  thick.  This  wall  serves  the  double  pur- 


THE  PASEO. 


215 


CHAP.  XXIII.] 

pose  of  enclosing  the  ground  and  as  a place  to  deposit  the 
dead.  Little  niches  are  made  in  it  large  enough  to  receive 
a coffin,  like  the  pigeon-holes  in  a desk. 

The  whole  area  is  laid  off  in  gravel  walks  and  bordered 
with  flowers  and  shrubbery,  and  beautiful  marble  tombs 
all  over  it.  Lamps  are  always  kept  burning  at  night, 
and  altogether  I have  never  seen  any  other  last  resting- 
place  which  had  so  little  of  gloom  about  it. 

The  lower  classes  are  buried  in  other  places  and  without 
coffins  ; they  are  carried  to  the  grave  on  rude  litters,  but 
the  children  and  women  generally  on  beds  made  of  roses 
and  other  flowers. 

The  wife  of  General  Canalizo  died  whilst  he  was  Presi- 
dent ad  interim , during  the  absence  of  Santa  Anna.  She 
was  embalmed  and  had  a pair  of  glass  eyes  inserted,  and 
lay  in  state  for  several  days,  gorgeously  dressed  and  glit- 
tering in  jewels ; every  one  was  admitted  to  the  great 
chamber  of  the  palace  where  the  body  was  exposed.  It 
was  a most  revolting  spectacle,  and  all  the  more  so  to 
those  who  knew  the  modest,  gentle  and  unostentatious 
character  of  that  very  uncommon  woman.  She  seemed 
to  be  unconscious  of  the  great  dignity  of  the  station  to 
which  her  husband  had  been  elevated,  and  spent  her  whole 
life  in  acts  of  charity  and  benevolence,  and  was  singularly 
averse  to  all  sorts  of  ostentation  and  parade. 

None  but  Catholics  are  allowed  to  be  buried  in  the 
regular  burial-grounds,  and  if  buried  anywhere  else,  there 
is  no  security  that  the  sacredness  of  the  grave  of  one 
regarded  as  an  infidel  will  not  be  molested.  To  the  disgrace 
of  Mexico,  the  rites  of  sepulture  ha  veto  be  secured  to  foreign- 
ers, not  Catholics,  by  treaty.  Two  of  the  Texians  died  at 
Puebla  Nacional;  one  of  them,  to  protect  his  corpse  from 
violation,  professed  the  Catholic  faith  ; the  other,  a very  gal- 


216 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XXIII. 


lant  and  fine  young  man,  Lieut.  Sevey,  refused  to  do  so. 
It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  his  friends  could  obtain  the 
privilege  of  burial  for  him,  which  was  at  last  accomplished 
by  a bribe  of  a hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to  the  priest. 

Let  us  now  turn  from  burials  and  burying-grounds  to  a 
very  different  place — the  Paseo,  with  its  glittering  throng. 
Until  very  recently  European  or  American  coaches  were  not 
used.  There  are  a good  many  there  now  owned  by  wealthy 
persons.  The  duty  upon  their  importation  is  very  high, 
and  they  sell  for  twice  as  much  as  in  the  United  States, 
and  hence  are  not  generally  used.  The  President  has  a 
very  splendid  barouche  drawn  by  four  American  horses,  and 
I am  ashamed  to  say  driven  by  an  American.  I can  never 
become  reconciled  to  seeing  a native  American  performing 
the  offices  of  a menial  servant — but  I felt  this  the  more  on 
seeing  a foreigner  and  in  a foreign  land  thus  waited  on  by 
one  of  my  countrymen.  I was  more  than  ever  thankful 
that  I lived  in  that  portion  of  our  country  where  no  man  is 
theoretically  called  a freeman  who  is  not  so  in  fact,  in  feel- 
ings  and  in  sentiments ; no  decent  Southern  American 
could  be  induced  to  drive  anybody’s  coach  or  clean  his 
shoes.  I have  no  doubt  that  if  the  liberties  of  this  country 
are  ever  destroyed  that  they  will  perish  at  the  ballot-box  ; 
men  whose  menial  occupations  degrade  them  in  their  own 
self-esteem,  and  deprive  them  of  the  proud  consciousness 
of  equality,  have  no  right  to  vote. 

The  President  of  Mexico  never  leaves  his  palace  but 
with  a large  escort  of  cavalry,  the  King  of  Prussia  walks 
the  streets  of  Berlin  unattended ; the  one  is  a despotism, 
the  other  a republic.  But  there  are  few  such  despotisms 
as  the  Prussian,  and  few  such  republics  as  the  Mexican. 

The  Mexican  carriages  are  altogether  unique  and  gro- 
tesque. The  distance  between  the  two  axletrees  is  gene- 


CHAP.  XXIII.] 


COSTLY  EQUIPAGE. 


217 


rally  twelve  feet ; they  have  high  cross-bars  both  behind 
and  before,  to  which  are  attached  the  leathern  traces  upon 
which  the  carriage  swings.  The  enormous  size  of  these 
carriages  is  made  the  more  striking  from  the  fact  that  they 
are  drawn  by  two  small  mules,  with  a postillion  mounted 
on  one  of  them.  One  part  of  the  harness  was  new  to  me, 
which  was  a leathern  bag  for  the  mule’s  tail.  This  bag  is 
also  used  when  they  ride  on  horseback. 

The  dress  of  the  gentlemen  when  they  ride  on  the  Paseo 
is  gaudy  in  the  extreme ; nothing  is  regarded  more  vulgar 
than  to  be  seen  on  horseback  in  a dress  coat  or  any  other 
than  a roundabout.  These  are  richly  embroidered  with 
silk  or  with  gold  and  silver  lace,  and  covered  all  over  with 
buttons.  Their  cherivalles  are  equally  fine,  and  generally 
open  from  the  knee  down.  The  dress  of  the  horse  is  even 
more  dashing  and  infinitely  more  costly.  One  thousand 
dollars  is  by  no  means  an  unusual  price  for  a saddle.  I 
have  seen  in  a saddler’s  shop  at  one  time  half  a dozen  sad- 
dles at  prices  ranging  from  five  hundred  to  a thousand  dol- 
lars. One  gentleman  in  the  city  has  a saddle  the  cost  of 
which  exceeded  five  thousand  dollars.  The  scene  exhibited 
every  evening  on  the  Paseo  is  altogether  picturesque. 
Three  or  four  thousand  persons  with  gay  equipages  and 
rich  dresses  pass  and  salute  each  other  on  the  broad  road, 
bordered  with  handsome  trees,  two  beautiful  jets  d'eau,  with 
Chapultepec  on  one  side  and  the  snow-covered  mountains 
of  Popocatepetl  and  Iztaccihuatl  on  the  other ; while  on 
all  sides  far  around  extend  the  wide  plains  of  the  valley. 

The  Mexican  women  generally  ride  with  their  feet  on 
the  right  side  of  the  horse,  exactly  the  opposite  side  from 
that  to  which  we  are  accustomed.  Very  frequently  they 

ride  with  a foot  on  each  side — not  on  the  Paseo  however. 

11 


218 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [cHAP.  XXIII. 


Let  us  now  go,  as  every  one  does  in  Mexico,  from  the 
Paseo  to  the  theatre. 

No  people  have  so  great  a passion  for  the  stage  as  the 
Spanish.  Much  the  larger  portion  of  Spanish  literature  is 
dramatic.  There  are  several  theatres  in  Mexico  besides 
the  new  and  magnificent  one  which  I have  already  de- 
scribed. The  “ Teatro  Principal  ” was,  before  the  erection 
of  the  new  one,  the  largest  and  most  fashionably  attended. 
The  actors  were  all  natives  of  Mexico,  if  indeed  it  is  not 
an  abuse  of  the  term  actors  to  apply  it  to  such  mere  recit- 
ers, and  by  no  means  good  reciters,  as  they  were. 

A company  of  actors  came  to  Mexico  in  1843,  and  were 
engaged  at  a small  theatre  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  ; but 
their  superiority  was  so  very  decided  to  anything  of  the 
kind  to  which  the  Mexicans  had  been  accustomed,  that 
they  very  soon  had  the  theatre  crowded.  I believe  they 
are  now  playing  at  the  new  theatre.  They  would  all  have 
been  considered  good,  none  of  them  first-rate  performers  in 
this  country,  with  one  remarkable  exception — the  Senora 
Conette.  I have  rarely  seen  her  equal  in  the  wide  range 
of  comic  characters  which  she  played.  I frequently  at- 
tended the  theatre  to  witness  her  performances,  but  I 
always  left  before  the  afterpiece  if  she  did  not  play  in  it, 
and  this  was  not  without  some  risk,  as  1 often  walked  home 
a distance  of  half  a mile  through  the  unfrequented  streets 
of  a badly-lighted  city — a thing  I could  not  easily  have  been 
induced  to  do  when  I first  went  to  Mexico. 

The  bull-fight  is  the  passion  the  lower  classes  of 
Mexicans,  and  very  much  a passion  with  all.  I have  seen 
ten  thousand  persons  assembled  on  such  an  occasion. 
I shall  not  detain  the  reader  with  a description.  They  are 
in  nothing  different  from  bull-fights  elsewhere,  except  that 
the  horns  are  sawed  off  and  the  bulls  are  generally  tame 


CHAP.  XXIII.] 


TEMPERATURE. 


219 


and  spiritless.  I do  not  know  whether  it  resulted  from  the 
inequality  of  the  contest,  the  poor  beast  being  thus  deprived 
of  his  only  power  of  defence  or  attack,  but  I declare  that 
my  sympathies  were  generally  with  the  bull. 

The  Hill  of  Chapultepec  and  Montezuma’s  cypress  at  its 
base,  and  the  fortress  on  the  summit,  the  evangelistas  or 
professional  letter- writers,  &c.,  &c.,  have  all  been  described 
by  others. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  city  is  about  58,  and  the 
range  above  or  below  that  point  but  very  small.  I have 
been  in  no  other  country  in  which  the  temperature  becomes 
so  much  cooler  after  sunset,  and  what  is  inexplicable  to  me 
I frequently  walked  half  a mile  at  mid-day  in  that  tropical 
sun  without  the  slightest  perspiration.  This,  I think,  is  no 
recommendation  but  an  objection  to  the  climate  of  Mexico, 
and  is,  I have  no  doubt,  the  cause  of  much  disease.  'jCJie 
rainy  season  generally  commences  in  the  last  days  of  May 
and  continues  to  the  first  of  October,  sometimes  a little 
later ; daring  that  period  there  is  rain  every  day.  Not 
what  one  would  call  a rainy  spell,  but  the  sun  shines 
brightly  in  the  morning  and  generally  until  noon  or  a little 
later,  and  then  pleasant  showers,  sometimes  very  heavy 
rains,  but  never  accompanied  with  violent  winds.  After 
the  rain  ceases  in  October,  not  another  drop  falls  until  the 
last  of  May.  This  is  the  case  in  the  table  lands.  In  the 
region  lying  between  the  degrees  25  and  35,  on  the  Pacific 
ocean,  this  is  reversed,  and  the  rainy  season  occurs  there  in 
the  winter  months  ; occasionally  in  January  and  February 
there  is  a cool  night  and  sometimes  they  say  there  is  a little 
frost — I never  saw  any.  The  difference,  however,  between 
the  summer  and  the  winter  months  is  scarcely  felt ; indeed, 
in  the  day  time,  it  is  a little  cooler  in  the  summer  from  the 
constant  rains,  but  the  climate  is  altogether  delicious.  In 


220 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIII. 


one  word,  I do  not  believe  that  there  is  a country  in  the 
world  for  which  God  has  done  so  much,  very  few  for  which 
man  has  done  so  little. 

The  reader  who  has  followed  me  through  these  desultory 
recollections,  is,  doubtless,  able  to  form  a pretty  accurate 
opinion  of  the  country,  its  character,  resources,  customs, 
and  population,  without  any  dissertation  of  mine.  Clavi- 
gero,  a man  of  learning  and  ability,  and  himself  a Mexican, 
has  drawn  the  character  of  his  countrymen,  I think  impar- 
tially, and  in  the  main  justly ; I subjoin  a translation  of  it, 
putting  in  italics  those  portions  in  which  I do  not  concur. 

“ The  Mexicans  are  of  good  stature , generally  exceeding  instead  of  fall- 
ing short  of  the  middle  size,  and  well  proportioned  in  all  their  limbs.  They 
have  good  complexions, — narrow  foreheads, — black  eyes, — clean,  firm, 
regular,  white  teeth, — thick,  black,  coarse,  glossy  hair, — thin  beards, — and 
generally  no  hair  upon  their  legs  or  thighs ; their  skin  is  of  an  olive 
color;  there  is  scarcely  a nation  upon  earth  where  there  are  fewer 
deformed  persons — and  it  would  be  more  difficult  to  find  a single  hump- 
backed, lame  or  squint-eyed  man  amongst  a thousand  Mexicans  than 
among  a hundred  of  any  other  nation.  The  unpleasantness  of  their 
color,  the  smallness  of  their  forehead,  the  thinness  of  their  beard,  are  so 
far  compensated  by  the  regularity  and  fine  proportion  of  their  limbs,  that 
they  can  neither  be  called  very  beautiful  nor  the  contrary,  but  seem  to 
hold  a middle  place  between  the  extremes.  Their  appearance  neither 
engages  nor  disgusts,  but  among  the  young  women  of  Mexico  there  are 
many  very  beautiful  and  fair,  whose  beauty  is  at  the  same  time  rendered 
more  winning  by  the  sweetness  of  their  manner  of  speaking,  and  by  the 
pleasantness  and  natural  modesty  of  their  whole  behavior. 

“ They  are  very  moderate  in  eating,  but  their  passion  for  liquors  is 
carried  to  the  greatest  excess. 

“ Their  minds  are,  at  bottom,  in  every  respect,  like  those  of  the  other 
children  of  Adam,  and  endowed  with  the  same  powers,  nor  did  the  Euro- 
peans ever  do  less  credit  to  their  own  reason  than  when  they  doubted  that 
of  the  Americans.  The  state  of  civilisation  among  the  Americans  when 
they  were  first  known  to  the  Spaniards,  which  was  much  superior  to  that  of 
the  Spaniards  themselves  when  they  were  first  known  to  the  Phoenicians, 


CHAP.  XXIII.]  CHARACTER  OF  THE  MEXICANS?* 


221 


that  of  the  Gauls  when  they  were  first  known  to  the  Greeks,  or  that  of 
the  Germans  and  Britons  when  first  known  to  the  Romans,  should  have 
been  sufficient  to  check  such  an  error  of  man’s  mind,  if  it  had  not  been 
the  interest  of  the  inhuman  avarice  of  some  ruffians  to  encourage  it. 
Their  understandings  are  fitted  for  every  kind  of  science,  as  experience 
has  shown.  Of  the  Mexicans  who  have  had  opportunities  of  engaging  in 
the  pursuit  of  learning,  which  is  but  a small  number,  as  the  greater  part 
of  the  people  are  always  engaged  in  the  public . or  private  works,  we 
have  known  some  good  mathematicians,  excellent  architects  and  learned 
divines.  Many  persons  allow  the  Mexicans  to  possess  a great  talent  for 
imitation,  but  deny  them  the  praise  of  invention,  a vulgar  error  which  is 
contradicted  by  the  ancient  history  of  that  people. 

“ Their  minds  are  affected  by  the  same  variety  of  passions  as  the 
people  of  other  nations,  but  not  in  an  equal  degree.  Mexicans  seldom 
exhibit  those  transports  of  anger  or  phrenzies  of  love  which  are  so 
common  in  other  countries  ; they  are  slow  in  their  motions,  and  show  a 
wonderful  tenacity  and  steadiness  in  those  works  which  require  time  and 
long  continued  attention. 

“ They  are  most  patient  of  injury  and  hardship,  and  where  they  sus- 
pect no  evil  intention,  are  most  grateful  for  any  kindness.  But  some 
Spaniards  who  cannot  distinguish  patience  from  insensibility,  nor  dis- 
trust from  ingratitude,  say  proverbially  that  the  Indians  are  alike  insen- 
sible to  injuries  and  to  benefits.  The  habitual  distrust  which  they 
entertain  of  all  who  are  not  of  their  own  nation  prompts  them  often  to 
lie  and  betray,  so  that  good  faith  has  certainly  not  been  so  much  respect- 
ed amongst  them  as  it  deserves  to  be. 

“ They  are  by  nature  taciturn,  serious,  and  austere,  and  show  more 
anxiety  to  punish  crimes  than  to  reward  virtues.  Generosity  and  per- 
fect disinterestedness  are  the  principal  features  of  their  character.  Gold, 
with  the  Mexicans,  has  not  the  value  which  it  seems  to  enjoy  elsewhere. 
They  give  without  reluctance  what  has  cost  them  the  utmost  labor  to 
acquire.  The  respect  paid  by  children  to  parents  and  by  the  young  to 
the  old,  seem  to  be  feelings  born  with  them.  Parents  are  very  fond  of 
their  children  also ; but  the  affection  which  husbands  bear  to  their  wives 
is  certainly  much  less  than  that  borne  by  wives  to  their  husbands,  and 
it  is  very  common  for  the  men  to  love  their  neighbors’  wives  better  than 
their  own. 

“ Courage  and  cowardice  seem  alternately  so  to  affect  their  minds  that 


222  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIII. 

it  is  often  difficult  to  determine  which  predominates.  They  meet  dan- 
gers with  intrepidity  when  they  proceed  from  natural  causes,  but  they 
are  terrified  by  the  stern  look  of  a Spaniard.  That  stupid  indifference 
about  death  and  eternity,  which  many  authors  have  thought  inherent  in 
the  character  of  every  American,  is  peculiar  only  to  those  who  are  yet  so 
rude  and  uninformed  as  to  have  no  idea  of  a future  state.  Their  singu- 
lar attachment  to  the  external  ceremonies  of  religion  is  very  apt  to  de- 
generate into  superstition,  as  happens  with  the  ignorant  of  all  nations  of 
the  world ; but  their  proneness  to  idolatry  is  nothingmore  than  a chimera 
formed  in  the  brains  of  ignorant  persons.  The  instances  of  a few  moun- 
taineers are  not  sufficient  to  justify  an  aspersion  upon  a whole  people. 
To  conclude : the  character  of  the  Mexicans,  like  that  of  every  other 
nation,  is  a mixture  of  good  and  bad,  but  the  bad  may  be  easily  corrected 
by  a proper  education,  as  has  frequently  been  demonstrated  by  experi- 
ence. It  would  be  difficult  to  find  anywhere  youth  or  a body  of  people 
more  willing  to  receive  the  light  of  the  Gospel  than  were  their  ances- 
tors.” 

I will  add  that  the  modern  Mexicans  are  not  in  all  re- 
spects like  the  ancient ; as  the  Greeks  of  these  days  have 
little  resemblance  to  those  who  lived  in  the  days  of  Pericles. 
The  ancient  Mexicans  showed  more  fire  and  were  more 
sensible  to  impressions  of  honor.  They  were  more  intre- 
pid, more  active,  more  industrious,  but  they  were  at  the 
same  time  more  superstitious  and  cruel. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


Adjustment  of  American  Claims — Order  for  the  Expulsion  of  Americans 
from  California  Rescinded — Various  Negotiations — Anecdote  of  Santa 
Anna’s  love  of  Cock-fighting. 

Of  matters  connected  with  the  Legation  it  is  not  fit  that  I 
should  speak,  except  of  those  which  have  been  made  public 
by  the  government.  The  commission  for  the  adjudication 
of  the  claims  of  American  citizens  against  the  government 
of  Mexico  adjourned  in  February  or  March,  1842.  The 
awards  which  that  commission  made  in  favor  of  American 
citizens  amounted  to  about  two  millions  of  dollars.  The 
Mexican  government  had,  by  the  terms  of  the  convention 
which  established  that  commission,  the  alternative  of  pay- 
ing the  awards  either  in  coin  or  their  own  treasury  notes 
at  their  option.  The  market  was  already  flooded  with  this 
depreciated  government  paper,  and  new  emissions  were 
daily  made.  The  market  value  of  these  treasury  notes 
was  about  thirty  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  if  this  additional 
two  millions  had  been  thown  on  the  market,  they  would 
have  depreciated  still  more  ; the  owners  of  these  claims  knew 
this,  and  were  anxious  to  make  some  other  arrangement. 
The  awards  were  not  sent  to  me  until  October.  I demand- 
ed the  money  ; but  it  was  a mere  form,  for  every  one 
knew  that  the  government  neither  had  the  money  nor  the 
means  of  raising  it,  and  coercion  was  out  of  the  question 
as  they  would  have  availed  themselves  of  the  alternative 
of  the  treaty  and  given  the  treasury  notes,  which  would 


224 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap.  XXIV. 


only  have  been  changing  the  evidence  of  the  debt,  and  to  a 
less  advantageous  form.  In  a week,  however,  I made  a 
new  convention  with  the  government,  by  which  the  claim- 
ants have  received  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  principal  of  their 
debt,  and  about  nineteen  per  cent  of  interest — which  is 
twice  as  much  as  the  market  value  of  the  whole  of  the 
claims  when  I went  to  Mexico — which  was  less  than 
twenty  cents  on  the  dollar.  If  I have  not  been  misin- 
formed, one  of  these  claims,  and  a large  one,  was  sold  for 
six  cents  on  the  dollar,  and  many  others  at  the  same  rate. 
I wrote  to  some  of  the  claimants  in  all  our  large  cities,  ad- 
vising them  not  to  sacrifice  their  claims,  and  I also  said  the 
same  thing  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  requested  him  to 
make  it  public,  which  I believe  he  did. 

By  the  new  convention  which  I negotiated,  there  was 
saved  to  the  persons  interested,  from  eighteen  to  twenty  per 
cent — the  export  and  transportation  duties,  eleven  per  cent 
freight  and  insurance  to  Yera  Cruz,  at  least  five  per  cent,  in 
that  country  of  highway  robbers  and  revolutions,  and  two 
and  a half  per  cent  for  the  commissions  of  the  agent  who 
received  the  money.  All  of  these  things  were  altogether 
just,  but  they  had  not  been  provided  for  in  the  former  con- 
vention— and  that  which  I negotiated  was  wholly  on  my 
own  responsibility.  I thought  that  it  was  no  more  than 
fair  that  the  government  of  Mexico  should  pay  the  com- 
missions of  the  agent,  because  if  the  whole  amount  of  two 
millions  had  been  paid  at  once,  any  one  would  have  re- 
ceived and  remitted  it  for  one  third  of  the  commissions 
which  would  have  been  charged  when  there  were  twenty 
different  instalments  running  through  a period  of  five 
years.  If  the  money  had  all  been  paid  at  one  time,  a gov- 
ernment vessel  would  have  been  ordered  to  take  it  to  the 
United  States  without  charge. 


CHAP.  XXIV.]  ADJUSTMENT  OF  AMERICAN  CLAIMS.  225 

All  the  instalments  which  fell  due  whilst  I remained  in 
Mexico  were  paid.  A small  portion  of  the  two  last  was 
not  paid  until  perhaps  a month  after  it  was  due,  and  the 
money  was  immediately  sent  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  shipped 
from  there  as  soon  as  it  could  be  counted.* 

There  were  eighteen  claims  submitted  to  the  commis- 
sion at  Washington,  and  which  were  not  finally  decided; 
the  American  commissioners  adjudging  in  all  of  them 
about  a million  of  dollars  to  the  claimants,  and  the  Mexi- 
cans allowing  nothing.  These  cases,  for  want  of  time,  were 
not  decided  by  the  umpire,  Baron  Roene.  There  were 
seven  other  cases  which  were  not  considered  by  the  com- 
missioners for  want  of  time,  and  because  in  one  of  them 
the  Mexican  Government  did  not  furnish  all  the  docu- 
mentary evidence  which  was  required. 

I was  anxious  to  have  made  provision  for  the  settlement 
of  these  cases  at  the  time  that  I negotiated  the  Convention 
of  January,  1843,  but  my  government  thought  otherwise. 
In  November,  however,  of  that  year,  I received  instruc- 
tions to  negotiate  another  Convention  for  the  settlement  of 
these  claims.  I would  gladly  have  avoided  the  responsibi- 
lity of  this  second  convention  if  I had  looked  only  to 
personal  considerations,  but  the  Mexican  government  was 
at  that  time  under  serious  apprehension  of  a collision  with 
England,  and  I knew  that  so  advantageous  an  opportunity 
would  not  again  occur.  I succeeded,  but  with  difficulty, 
in  obtaining  every  concession  which  I had  been  instructed 
to  ask,  and  on  some  points  more,  with  the  single  exception 


* The  persons  interested  in  these  claims  are  more  indebted  for  the  pay- 
ment to  Mr.  Emilius  Voss  than  any  other  person.  As  imputations  have 
been  made  against  this  gentleman,  it  is  but  just  to  say  of  him,  not  only  that 
he  is  an  accomplished  merchant  and  an  upright  man,  but  that  in  all  high 
and  honorable  qualities  he  has  no  superior  in  Mexico  or  anywhere  else. 

11* 


226 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIV. 


of  the  place  of  meeting  of  the  new  Commission,  which  I 
agreed  should  be  Mexico  instead  of  Washington.  The 
former  commission  had  met  at  Washington,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  nothing  but  fair  that  this  one  should  meet  at  Mexico. 
I know  of  no  rule  that  such  commissions  shall  assemble  in 
tike  country  of  the  claimant ; the  legal  rule  in  controversies 
^between  individuals  is  the  reverse.  The  forum  is  in  the 
country  of  the  defendant.  But  this  new  commission  was  not 
alone  for  the  settlement  of  the  claims  of  American  citizens  or 
the  government  of  Mexico,  but  also  the  claims  of  Mexican 
citizens  upon  the  government  of  the  United  States,  so  that 
the  equities  were  at  least  equal ; but  the  Mexican  plenipo- 
tentiaries offered  that  if  I would  concede  to  them  the  point 
of  the  commission  meeting  at  Mexico  that  I might  name 
the  umpire,  to  which  I at  once  acceded.  I could  not  see 
any  great  importance  as  to  the  place  where  the  commission 
met,  the  more  especially  as  nearly  all  of  the  seven  claims 
which  alone  were  to  be  submitted  to  this  commission  de- 
pended upon  documentary  evidence  entirely,  and  all  these 
documents  were  in  the  public  archives  of  Mexico.  And, 
as  it  was  certain  that  the  Mexican  and  American  com- 
missioners would  disagree  upon  all  of  these  claims,  I did 
regard  it  of  primary  importance  who  should  be  the  umpire. 
If  that  umpire  had  been,  as  he  would  have  been  (if  Mexico 
had  selected  him),  some  one  of  the  presidents  of  the  South 
American  Republics,  there  never  would  have  been  any 
controversy  as  to  what  vessel  should  bring  the  money 
home.  I knew  of  the  sympathies  as  well  as  the  antipathies 
of  race,  but  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  thought  other- 
wise, and  disapproved  of  that  clause  of  the  convention.  I 
think  that  all  the  parties  interested  will  have  occasion  to- 
regret  that  decision ; I am  sure  that  all  those  will,  who  are 
interested  in  the  eighteen  cases  submitted  to  and  not 


CHAP.  XXIV.] 


VARIOUS  NEGOTIATIONS. 


227 


decided  by  the  umpire  under  the  former  commission — for 
those  cases  were  not  to  be  submitted  to  the  new  commis- 
sion but  were  to  be  referred  at  once  to  the  umpire  under 
the  new  convention,  and  would  long  since  have  been 
settled. 

Near  the  end  of  December,  1843,  I received  information 
that  the  government  of  Mexico  had  issued  an  order  in  July 
previous  expelling  all  natives  of  the  United  States  from  the 
department  of  California  and  the  three  adjoining  depart- 
ments. No  attempt  however  had  been  made  up  to  that 
time  to  execute  this  order.  A similar  order  had  been 
issued  a few  years  before,  including  not  only  citizens  of  the 
United  States  but  British  subjects  also,  and  this  order  had 
actually  been  executed  to  the  great  damage,  and  in  some 
instances,  ruin,  of  the  persons  removed.  All  the  efforts  of 
the  English  and  American  ministers  to  procure  a rescision 
of  this  order  were  ineffectual  for  six  months.  I had  the 
good  fortune,  however,  after  a somewhat  angry  corres- 
pondence, to  have  the  order  rescinded,  not,  however,  until 
I resorted  to  the  “ ultima  ratio”  of  diplomacy,  and  demanded 
my  passports — a measure  which  a Minister  is  rarely  jus- 
tifiable in  resorting  to  without  the  orders  of  his  govern- 
ment. I confess  I was  very  much  afraid  that  the  passports 
would  have  been  sent  to  me,  but  I thought  that  the  step, 
extreme  as  it  was,  was  justified  by  the  circumstances,  and 
that  it  would  cut  short  a very  long  discussion.  The  result 
showed  that  in  this  calculation  I was  right.  The  order 
was  rescinded,  and  expresses  forthwith  sent  to  all  of  the 
four  departments,  the  distance  of  some  of  which  was  two 
thousand  miles. 

With  all  their  boasting  the  Mexicans  are  more  afraid  of 
us  than  of  all  other  powers.  They  do  not  care  about  a 
maritime  war,  for  they  have  scarcely  any  ships,  either  of 


228 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIV. 


war  or  commercial  vessels,  and  as  to  a blockade,  they  will 
thank  any  foreign  power  for  one.  But  they  know  we  can 
approach  them  by  land,  and  the  Texians  have  given  them 
“ a taste  of  our  quality.” 

I was  anxious  before  I left  the  legation  that  the  “ docket 
should  be  cleared,”  and  as  there  were  five  cases  remaining, 
some  of  them  of  long  standing,  I asked  an  interview  with 
the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  to  discuss  and  settle  them. 
I would  advise  all  our  future  Ministers  in  that  country  to 
adopt  that  course,  and  never  write  when  they  can  obtain  a 
personal  interview.  Written  discussions  with  them  are  as 
endless  as  the  web  of  Penelope.  The  habitual  procrastina- 
tion and  the  vanity  of  writing  make  it  so,  and  if  the  Minis- 
ter of  Foreign  Affairs  happens  to  be  a lawyer,  as  was  Mr. 
Bocanegra,  the  pleadings  never  stop  short  of  the  sur- rebutter. 
All  the  members  of  the  cabinet  met  me  to  discuss  the  cases, 
and  the  result  was,  that  all  I asked  was  conceded  to  me  in 
all  of  them.  I will  repeat  here  what  I said  in  the  last  note 
which  I addressed  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  : 
“ that  during  the  whole  time  of  my  mission  I had  made 
but  one  single  demand  upon  the  government  which  had  not 
been  conceded  and  I will  venture  to  say  that  these  de- 
mands were  much  more  numerous,  and  involving  a greater 
variety  of  nice  questions  of  international  law  than  has 
occurred  with  any  other  of  our  missions  for  the  same  pe^ 
riod.  I claim  no  credit  for  this  beyond  that  of  a rigid 
adherence  to  the  great  principle  which  governs  our  inter- 
course with  other  nations — “ to  ask  nothing  but  what  is 
right,  and  to  submit  to  nothing  that  is  wrong” — a maxim 
the  first  part  of  which  should  be  even  more  strictly  observed 
in  our  intercourse  with  weak  powers,  and  still  more  with 
the  weaker  powers  of  this  continent.  I am  not  aware  that 
any  complaint  has  ever  been  made  that  I had  refused  my 


CHAP.  XXIV.]  VARIOUS  NEGOTIATIONS. 


229 


interposition  when  asked.  There  were  a few  matters  in 
which  I felt  much  interest,  and  which  I knew  could  only  be 
arranged  with  President  Santa  Anna  himself,  I therefore 
Waited  a few  days  at  Jalapa  in  the  neighborhood  of  which 
place  is  his  beautiful  country-seat,  “ Encerro.”  The  first 
of  these  objects  was  the  release  of  the  Texians  made  pri- 
soners at  San  Antonio,  which  he  granted  me,  as  I have  be- 
fore stated. 

An  order  had  been  issued  for  closing  the  custom  house  at 
Santa  Fe  and  stopping  the  inland  trade,  in  which  our  coun- 
trymen were  very  much  interested.  This  order  had  not 
originated  in  any  hostile  feelings  towards  the  United  States, 
but  was  issued  because  General  Armigo,  the  governor  of 
that  department,  kept  all  the  revenues  himself  and  paid 
nothing  to  the  government.  Santa  Anna  promised  me  that 
the  order  should  be  rescinded,  and  it  was  done  immediately 
afterwards.  Another  order  had  been  issued  a few  months 
before,  requiring  all  goods  of  a certain  description  which 
had  been  imported  into  Mexico,  and  which  were  not  sold 
by  a stipulated  time,  to  be  reshipped,  or  that  they  should  be 
forfeited  to  the  government.  This  order  he  also  consented 
should  be  rescinded  or  satisfactorily  modified — which  was 
done. 

Another,  and  a very  important  one  to  many  Americans 
in  Mexico,  was  that  which  prohibited  the  privilege  of  the 
retail  trade  to  all  foreigners, — all  my  efforts  to  procure  a 
rescision  of  this  order  were  ineffectual,  and  this  is  the  one 
exception  to  which  I have  alluded.  One  of  the  members 
of  the  diplomatic  corps,  the  French  Minister,  had  felt  it  his 
duty  to  write  a note  on  the  subject,  which  Santa  Anna  re- 
garded as  very  harsh  in  its  terms  and  spirit.  After  I had 
discussed  the  matter  with  him  for  some  time  he  said,  “ I know 
nothing  about  these  questions  of  international  law,  I am 


230 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXIV. 


only  a soldier,  and  have  spent  my  life  in  the  camp- — but 
eminent  Mexican  lawyers  tell  me  that  we  have  the  right  to 
enforce  such  an  order,  and  if  we  have  I know  that  it  will 
be  beneficial  to  Mexico.  These  foreigners  come  here  and 
make  fortunes  and  go  away ; let  them  marry  here,  or 
become  Mexican  citizens,  and  they  may  enjoy  this  and  all 
other  privileges.”  He  added  that  if  all  the  other  ministers 
had  taken  the  same  course  that  I had,  that  he  might  have 
consented  to  rescind  the  order,  but  that  whilst  he  was  the 
President  he  would  cut  his  throat  (suiting  the  action  to  the 
word  with  great  vehemence)  before  he  would  yield  any- 
thing to  insult  or  menaces — alluding  to  the  note  of  the 
French  Minister.  He  became  very  much  excited,  and 
with  his  fine  eye  flashing  fire,  went  on  in  a strain  of  real 
eloquence.  “ What,”  said  he,  “ has  Mexico  gained  by  her 
revolution,  if  she  is  thus  to  be  dictated  to  by  every  despot 
in  Europe ; before,  we  had  but  one  master — but  if  this  is 
permitted  we  shall  have  twenty.  We  cannot  fight  on  the 
water ; but  let  them  land,  and  I will  drive  them  to  their 
boats  a little  faster  than  I did  in  1839” — and  then  casting 
his  eye  to  his  mutilated  leg,  with  that  tiger  expression 
which  Mrs.  Calderon  noticed — he  said,  “ they  have  taken 
one  of  my  legs,  they  shall  have  the  other,  and  every  limb 
of  my  body  before  I will  submit  to  their  bullying  and 
menaces.  Let  them  come,  let  them  come  as  soon  as  they 
please,  and  in  every  defile  of  these  mountains  they  will 
find  a Thermopylae.” 

These  were  his  very  words.  If  he  did  not  feel  what  he 
said,  I have  never  seen  the  hero  and  patriot  better  acted. 
Again  I thought  of  General  Jackson.  The  reader  may  be 
assured  that  whatever  may  be  the  faults  of  Santa  Anna,  he 
has  many  points  which  mark  him  “ as  not  in  the  roll  of 
common  men.” 


CHAP.  XXIV.]  SANTA  ANNA’S  LOVE  OF  COCK-FIGHTING.  231 

When  I first  visited  him  at  Encerro,  he  was  examining 
his  chicken  cocks,  having  a large  main  then  depending — 
he  went  round  the  coops  and  examined  every  fowl,  and 
gave  directions  as  to  his  feed ; some  to  have  a little  more, 
others  to  be  stinted.  There  was  one  of  very  great  beauty,  of 
the  color  of  the  partridge,  only  with  the  feathers  tipped  with 
black,  instead  of  yellow  or  white ; and  the  male  in  all  re- 
spects like  the  female,  except  in  size.  He  asked  me  if  we  had 
any  such  in  this  country,  and  when  I told  him  that  we  had 
not,  he  said  that  if  that  one  gained  his  fight  he  would  send 
him  to  me, — he  was  the  only  one  of  fifteen  which  did  not 
lose  his  fight ; and  shortly  after  my  return,  when  I visited 
New  York,  I found  the  fowl  there.  I had  thought  no  more 
about  it,  and  had  no  idea  that  he  would. 

After  examining  his  chicken  cocks  we  returned  to  the 
house,  and  then  he  was  all  the  President — and  to  have 
listened  to  the  eloquent  conversation  which  I have  sketched, 
one  would  not  have  supposed  that  he  had  ever  witnessed  a 
cock-fight. 

The  taste  for  this  amusement,  which  amongst  us  is  re- 
garded as  barbarous  and  vulgar,  is  in  Mexico  by  no  means 
peculiar  to  Santa  Anna.  It  is  universal,  and  stands  scarcely 
second  to  the  bull-fight. 

O 


CHAPTER  XXA. 


The  California  Question — Captain  Suter’s  Settlement — Value  of  the  Coun- 
try— Importance  to  the  United  States — English  Influence  in  Mexico — 
Annexation  of  Mexican  Provinces  to  the  United  States — Present  Rela- 
tions. 

I confess  that  in  taking  the  high  ground  which  I did  upon 
the  order  expelling  our  people  from  California,  that  I felt 
some  compunctious  visitings,  for  I had  been  informed  that 
a plot  had  been  arranged  and  was  about  being  developed 
by  the  Americans  and  other  foreigners  in  that  department 
to  re-enact  the  scenes  of  Texas.  I had  been  consulted 
whether  in  the  event  of  a revolution  in  California,  and  its  suc- 
cessful result  in  a separation  from  Mexico,  our  government 
would  consent  to  surrender  their  claims  to  Oregon,  and  that 
Oregon  and  California  should  constitute  an  independent 
republic.  I of  course  had  no  authority  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, and  I would  not  have  done  so  if  I could. 

The  inhabitants  of  California  are  for  the  most  part 
Indians,  a large  proportion  naked  savages,  who  not  only 
have  no  sympathies  with  Mexico  but  the  most  decided 
antipathy. 

Mexico  has  no  troops  there,  and  the  distance  of  the 
department  prevents  any  being  sent. 

Captain  Suter,  who  was  one  of  Buonaparte’s  officers,  and, 
I believe,  is  a Swiss,  has  for  many  years  had  an  establish- 
ment there,  and  is  the  real  sovereign  of  the  country  if  any 
one  is,  certainly  so  de  facto  if  not  de  jure.  The  govern- 


CHAP.  XXV.] 


VALUE  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


233 


ment  of  Mexico  has  done  none  of  these  things,  such  as  set- 
tlement, extending  her  laws,  and  affording  protection, 
which  alone  give  to  a civilized  people  a right  to  the  coun- 
try of  a savage  one.  As  to  all  these,  the  natives  of  Califor- 
nia are  as  much  indebted  to  any  other  nation  as  to  Mex- 
ico ; they  only  know  the  government  of  Mexico  by  the 
exactions  and  tribute  which  are  levied  upon  them — it  is 
literally  a waif,  and  belongs  to  the  first  occupant.  Captain 
Suter  has  two  forts  in  California,  and  about  two  thousand 
persons,  natives  and  Europeans,  in  his  employment,  all  of 
them  armed  and  regularly  drilled.  I have  no  doubt  that 
his  force  would  be  more  than  a match  for  any  Mexican 
force  which  will  ever  be  sent  against  him.  He  has  once  or 
twice  been  ordered  to  deliver  up  his  forts,  and  his  laconic 
reply  has  been,  “ Come  and  take  them.” 

From  all  the  information  which  I have  received,  and  I 
have  been  inquisitive  upon  the  subject,  I am  well  satisfied 
that  there  is  not  on  this  Continent  any  country  of  the  same 
extent  as  little  desirable  as  Oregon,  nor  any  in  the  world 
which  combines  as  many  advantages  as  California.  With 
the  exception  of  the  valley  of  the  Wallamette,  there  is 
scarcely  any  portion  of  Oregon  which  is  inhabitable 
except  for  that  most  worthless  of  all — a hunting  popula- 
tion— and  the  valley  of  the  Wallamette  is  of  very  small 
extent.  In  the  south  the  only  port  is  at  the  Columbia  river, 
and  that  is  no  port  at  all,  as  the  loss  of  the  Peacock,  and 
others  of  our  vessels,  has  proven.  To  say  nothing  of  other 
harbors  in  California,  that  of  San  Francisco  is  capacious 
enough  for  the  navies  of  the  world,  and  its  shores  are 
covered  with  enough  timber  (a  species  of  the  live  oak)  to 
build  those  navies.  If  man  were  to  ask  of  God  a climate, 
he  would  ask  just  such  an  one  as  that  of  California,  if  he  had 
ever  been  there.  There  is  no  portion  of  our  western  coun- 


234 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  LCHAP*  XXV* 


try  which  produces  all  the  grains  as  well ; I have  been 
told  by  more  than  one  person  on  whom  I entirely  relied, 
that  they  had  known  whole  fields  to  produce — a quantity 
so  incredible  that  I will  not  state  it.  The  whole  face  of 
the  country  is  covered  with  the  finest  oats  growing  wild  ; 
sugar,  rice,  and  cotton  find  there  their  own  congenial  cli- 
mate. Besides  all  these,  the  richest  mines  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver have  been  discovered  there,  and  the  pearl  fisheries  have 
always  been  sources  of  the  largest  profits  ; and  more  than 
these,  there  are  the  markets  of  India  and  China  with  nothing 
intervening  but  the  calm  and  stormless  Pacific  ocean. 

The  distance  from  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Arkan- 
sas and  Red  rivers  to  a navigable  point  of  the  waters  of 
the  Gulf  of  California  is  not  more  than  five  or  six  hundred 
miles  ; let  that  distance  be  overcome  by  a railroad,  and 
what  a vista  is  opened  to  the  prosperity  and  power  of  our 
country.  I have  no  doubt  that  the  time  will  come  when 
New  Orleans  will  be  the  greatest  city  in  the  world.  That 
period  would  be  incalculably  hastened  by  the  measures 
which  I have  indicated,  which  would  throw  into  her  lap 
the  vast  commerce  of  China  and  of  India.  Great  Britain, 
with  that  wise  and  far-seeing  policy  for  which  she  is  more 
remarkable  than  any  other  government,  has  already  the 
practical  possession  of  most  of  the  ports  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean — New  Zealand  and  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  very 
soon  the  Society  Islands  also.  We  have  a commerce  in 
that  ocean  of  more  than  fifty  millions  of  dollars,  and  not  a 
single  place  of  refuge  for  our  ships. 

I will  not  say  what  is  our  policy  in  regard  to  California. 
Perhaps  it  is  that  it  remain  in  the  hands  of  a weak  power 
like  Mexico,  and  that  all  the  maritime  powers  may  have 
the  advantage  of  its  ports.  But  one  thing  I will  say,  that 


CHAP.  XXV.]  ENGLISH  INFLUENCE  IN  MEXICO. 


235 


it  will  be  worth  a war  of  twenty  years  to  prevent  England 
acquiring  it,  which  I have  the  best  reasons  for  believing  she 
desires  to  do,  and  just  as  good  reasons  for  believing  that  she 
will  not  do  if  it  costs  a war  with  this  country.  It  is,  per- 
haps, too  remote  from  us  to  become  a member  of  the  Union. 
It  is  yet  doubtful  whether  the  increase  of  our  territory  will 
have  a federal  or  a centralizing  tendency.  If  the  latter,  we 
have  too  much  territory ; and  I am  by  no  means  sure  that 
another  sister  Republic  there,  with  the  same  language, 
liberty  and  laws,  will  not,  upon  the  whole,  be  the  best  for 
us.  If  united  in  one  government,  the  extremities  may  be 
so  remote  as  not  to  receive  a proper  heat  from  the  centre — 
so,  at  least,  thought  Mr.  Jefferson,  who  was  inspired  on  politi- 
cal questions  if  mortal  man  ever  was.  I am  not  one  of  those 
who  have  a rabid  craving  for  more  territory ; on  the  contrary, 
I believe  that  we  have  enough.  I know  of  no  great  people 
who  have  not  been  crowded  into  a small  space — the  Egyp- 
tians, the  Romans,  the  Greeks,  and  another  people  who 
have  exercised  a greater  influence  upon  man  and  his  des- 
tiny than  all  others,  the  Jews  ; and,  in  our  own  time,  the 
English.  I want  no  more  territory,  for  we  have  already 
too  much.  If  I were  to  make  an  exception  to  this  remark, 
it  would  be  to  acquire  California.  But  I should  grieve  to 
see  that  country  pass  into  the  hands  of  England,  or  any 
other  of  the  great  powers. 

Whenever  the  foreigners  in  California  make  the  move- 
ment of  separation,  it  must  succeed.  The  department  of 
Sonora,  not  half  the  distance  from  Mexico,  has  been  in  a 
state  of  revolt  for  the  last  four  years,  and  the  government 
has  been  unable  to  suppress  it.  The  civil  war  there  has 
been  marked  by  acts  of  horrible  atrocity,  which  are  al- 
most without  precedent  in  any  country.  It  is  true  that 
they  do  not  eat  the  flesh  of  their  enemies,  but  they  leave 


236 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXV. 


them  hanging  on  the  trees  to  feast  the  birds  of  prey. 
There  is  scarcely  a road  in  the  whole  department  where 
such  spectacles  are  not  daily  exhibited. 

There  is  a great  mistake,  I think,  in  the  opinion  which  is 
general  in  this  country  of  the  great  ascendency  of  English 
influence  in  Mexico.  It  is  true  that  Mr.  Pakenham  had 
much  influence  there,  which  his  great  worth  and  frank  and 
honorable  character  will  give  him  anywhere ; but  my 
opinion  is,  that  the  general  feeling  of  the  Mexicans  towards 
the  English  is  unfriendly.  They  have  a well-grounded 
jealousy  of  the"  great  and  increasing  power  which  their 
large  capital  gives  them  ; and,  if  the  feelings  of  the  Mexi- 
can people  were  consulted,  or  the  opinions  of  their  most 
enlightened  men,  England  is  the  very  last  power  to  which 
the  Mexicans  would  transfer  California,  or  any  other  portion 
of  their  territory.  I am  quite  sure  that  they  would  prefer 
that  it  should  be  an  independent  power,  than  to  have  any 
connection  or  dependence  of  any  sort  upon  England.  The 
most  valuable  of  the  Mexican  mines  are  owned  and  worked 
by  English  companies,  and  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  specie 
which  is  exported  goes  into  the  hands  of  the  English.  The 
British  Government  keeps  two  officers,  or  agents,  in 
Mexico,  with  high  salaries,  to  attend  to  this  interest  alone. 
It  is  with  the  money  thus  derived  that  the  English  establish- 
ments on  this  continent  and  in  the  West  Indies  are  sup- 
ported. 

The  amount  of  the  specie  annually  obtained  from 
Mexico  is  more  than  half  as  great  as  that  which  is  kept  at 
one  time  in  the  Bank  of  England.  The  stoppage  of  this 
supply  would  very  much  derange  the  whole  monetary  sys- 
tem of  England  ; on  this  account,  it  is  to  be  apprehended 
that  in  the  event  of  a war  between  the  United  States  and 
Mexico,  that  England  would  very  soon  be  involved  in  it. 


CHAP.  XXV.] 


ANNEXATION. 


237 


If  the  coast  of  Mexico  should  be  blockaded,  England  will 
demand  that  the  line  of  steam-packets  to  Vera  Cruz  should 
be  exempted  from  its  operations.  These  packets,  although 
commercial  vessels,  possess  a sort  of  quasi-government 
character.  This,  of  course,  our  government  could  not  con- 
cede ; and  the  interruption  of  the  regular  supply  of  the  pre- 
cious metals  from  Mexico  would  be  most  disastrously  felt  in 
England.  Knowing  all  this,  I was  well  satisfied  that  all  that 
we  have  heard  about  England  stimulating  Mexico  to  de- 
clare war  against  this  country  was  ridiculously  absurd. 
Such  a war  would  injure  England  more  than  either  of  the 
belligerents.  All  her  interests  are  opposed  to  it,  unless, 
indeed,  she  intended  to  participate  in  that  war.  I have  the 
best  reasons  for  saying,  that  there  is  no  other  power  in  the 
w'orld  with  which  England  would  not  prefer  to  engage  in  a 
war ; not  that  she  fears  us,  for  England  fears  no  nation,  nor 
combination  of  nations,  as  all  her  history  proves  ; but  such 
a war  would  be,  more  than  any  other,  disastrous  to  her  com- 
mercial, manufacturing,  and  all  other  industrial  pursuits. 

England  has  no  single  motive  for  a war  with  us.  It  is 
not  of  this  country  that  she  is  jealous,  but  of  the  northern 
despotism  of  Europe,  and  mainly  of  Russia,  and  has  been 
so  since  the  seizure  of  the  fortress  of  Aczaco,  in  1788.  And 
well  may  England  and  all  Europe  tremble  under  the  shadow 
of  that  terrible  military  despotism  now  holding  one-eighth 
of  the  territory  of  the  globe,  and  continually  extending  its 
limits  and  its  power.  All  the  wars  of  the  present  century 
which  have  weakened  other  European  powers  have  result- 
ed in  the  aggrandizement  of  Russia.  The  government  is 
not  only  a despotism,  but  essentially  a military  despotism. 
The  studies  in  which  her  people  are  educated  are  princi- 
pally those  of  war  and  diplomacy.  Russia  and  the  United 
States  are  antipodes  and  antagonists.  The  wise  and  far- 


238 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[chap,  XXV. 


seeing  statesmen  of  England  see  this  and  calculate,  as  well 
they  may,  upon  our  sympathy,  in  a conflict  with  Russia. 
I repeat,  England  wants  no  war  with  us,  although  we  may 
force  her  into  one.  “ That  old  and  haughty  nation  proud 
in  arms  ” will  never  submit  to  injustice  or  insult.*  But  to 
return  from  this  perhaps  uncalled-for  digression  to  the 
jealousy  of  England  which  is  felt  in  Mexico. 

A leading  member  of  the  Mexican  cabinet  once  said  to 
me  that  he  believed  that  the  tendency  of  things  was  to- 
wards the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  United  States,  and 
that  he  greatly  preferred  that  result  either  to  the  separate 
independence  of  Texas  or  any  connection  or  dependence 
of  Texas  upon  England  ; that  if  Texas  was  an  independent 
power,  other  departments  of  Mexico  would  unite  with  it 
either  voluntarily  or  by  conquest,  and  that  if  there  was  any 
connection  between  Texas  and  England,  that  English  manu- 
factures and  merchandise  would  be  smuggled  into  Mexico 
through  Texas  to  the  utter  ruin  of  the  Mexican  manufac- 
tures and  revenue. 

In  one  of  my  last  interviews  with  Santa  Anna  I men- 
tioned this  conversation.  He  said  with  great  vehemence, 
that  he  “ would  war  for  ever  for  the  reconquest  of  Texas, 
and  that  if  he  died  in  his  senses  his  last  words  should  be  an 
exhortation  to  his  countrymen  never  to  abandon  the  effort 
to  reconquer  the  country  and  added,  “ You,  Sir,  know 
very  well  that  to  sign  a treaty  for  the  alienation  of  Texas 
would  be  the  same  thing  as  signing  the  death-warrant  of 

* Our  worst  enemy  among  the  sovereigns  of  Europe  is  Louis  Philippe, 
the  catspaw-king.  Every  people  struggling  to  be  free  look  to  the  United 
States  for  light  and  aid,  and  it  should  be  a source  of  pride  to  us  that 
every  despot  regards  us  with  fear  and  hatred.  Well  may  the  treacherous 
citizen-king  exclaim  with  reference  to  America,  with  the  fallen  archangel 
to  the  sun — 

“ How  ! oh  sun,  I hate  thy  beams.” 


CHAP.  XXV.] 


PRESENT  RELATIONS. 


239 


Mexico,”  and  went  on  to  say  that  " by  the  same  process  we 
would  take  one  after  the  other  of  the  Mexican  provinces  until 
we  had  them  all.”  I could  not,  in  sincerity,  say  that  I thought 
otherwise  ; but  I do  not  know  that  the  annexation  of  Texas 
will  hasten  that  event.  That  our  language  and  laws  are 
destined  to  pervade  this  continent,  I regard  as  more  certain 
than  any  other  event  which  is  in  the  future.  Our  race  has 
never  yet  put  its  foot  upon  a soil  which  it  has  not  only  not 
kept  but  has  advanced.  I mean  not  our  English  ancestors 
only,  but  that  great  Teuton  race  from  which  we  have  both 
descended. 

There  seems  to  be  a wonderful  adaptation  of  the  English 
people  to  the  purpose  of  colonization.  The  English  colony 
of  convicts  at  New  South  Wales  is  a more  prosperous 
community  than  any  colony  of  any  other  country.  That 
the  Indian  race  of  Mexico  must  recede  before  us,  is  quite  as 
certain  as  that  that  is  the  destiny  of  our  own  Indians, 
who  in  a military  point  of  view,  if  in  no  other,  are  supe- 
rior to  them.  I do  not  know  what  feelings  towards  us  in 
Mexico  may  have  been  produced  by  recent  events,  but 
whatever  they  may  be,  they  will  not  last  long  ; and  I be- 
lieve that  the  time  is  not  at  all  distant,  when  all  the 
northern  departments  of  Mexico,  within  a hundred  miles 
of  the  city,  will  gladly  take  refuge  under  our  more  stable 
institutions  from  the  constant  succession  of  civil  wars  to 
which  that  country  seems  to  be  destined.  The  feeling  is 
becoming  a pretty  general  one  amongst  the  enlightened 
and  patriotic,  that  they  are  not  prepared  for  free  institu- 
tions, and  are  incapable  themselves  of  maintaining  them. 
There  is  very  great  danger  that  the  drama  may  close 
there,  as  it  has  so  often  done  in  other  countries,  with 
anarchy  ending  in  despotism, — such  is  the  natural  swing  of 
the  pendulum.  The  feeling  of  all  Mexicans  towards  us, 


240 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO.  [CHAP.  XXV. 


until  the  revolution  in  Texas,  was  one  of  unmixed  admira- 
tion ; and  it  is  our  high  position  amongst  the  nations, 
and  makes  our  mission  all  the  more  responsible,  that  every 
people,  struggling  to  be  free,  regard  us  with  the  same  feel- 
ings— we  are  indeed  the  “ looking-glass  in  which  they 
dress  themselves.”  As  a philanthropist,  I have  deeply  de- 
plored the  effects  of  the  annexation  of  Texas  upon  the  feel- 
ings of  the  people  of  all  classes  in  Mexico,  towards  this 
country,  as  diminishing  their  devotion  to  republican  insti- 
tutions ; this  should  not  be  so,  but  it  will  be.  Ours  is 
regarded  as  the  great  exemplar  Republic  in  Mexico,  as 
everywhere  else,  and  the  act  which  they  regard  as  such  an 
outrage,  must  have  the  prejudicial  effect  which  I have  indi- 
cated— still  more  will  that  effect  be  to  be  deprecated,  if  it 
should  throw  Mexico  into  the  arms  of  any  great  European 
power. 

The  northern  departments  of  Mexico  contain  all  the 
mines,  and  more  of  the  wealth  of  the  country  than  any 
others  ; and  they  all  hang  very  loosely  to  the  confederacy  ; 
—they  receive  no  earthly  benefit  from  the  central  govern- 
ment, which  in  truth  they  only  know  in  its  exactions.  All 
the  money  collected  from  them  is  expended  in  the  city  and 
elsewhere,  and  they  have  not  even  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  it  is  beneficially  or  even  honestly  used.  The 
security  which  would  be  given  to  property,  as  well  as  its 
great  enhancement  in  value,  would  be  powerful  induce- 
ments with  all  the  owners  of  large  estates  which  are  now 
comparatively  valueless.  The  only  obstacle  that  I know 
of  to  such  a consummation,  infinitely  desirable  in  my  judg- 
ment, to  the  people  of  those  departments,  less  so  to  us, 
would  be  in  the  influence  of  the  priesthood.  They  are 
well  aware  that  such  a measure  might  very  soon  be  fatal, 
not  only  to  their  own  supremacy,  but  that  of  the  Catholic 


CHAP.  XXV.] 


PRESENT  RELATIONS. 


241 


religion  also, — but  they  would  have  on  the  other  hand  a 
powerful  motive  in  the  security  which  it  would  give  them 
to  their  large  church  property — no  motive  but  interest 
w’ould  have  any  influence  with  the  people  of  Mexico,  for 
they  certainly  do  not  like  us.  Their  feelings  towards 
us  may  be  summed  up  in  two  words,  jealousy  and  admiration, 
— they  are  not  going  to  declare  war  against  us,  I have 
never  doubted  for  a moment  about  that.  Public  opinion  in 
Mexico,  to  all  practical  purposes,  means  the  opinion  of  the 
army,  and  the  very  last  thing  in  the  world  which  the  army 
desires,  is  such  a war, — nor  do  I believe  that  one  Mexican 
in  a thousand  does,  however  they  may  vaunt  and  bluster — - 
just  as  a frightened  school-boy  whistles  as  he  passes  a 
graveyard  in  the  night.  I have  just  as  little  idea  that  they 
will  negotiate  now,  or  until  matters  are  adjusted  between 
England  and  this  country.  I doubt  whether  they  will  do 
so  even  then,  for  the  government  of  Mexico  owes  our  citi- 
zens as  much  money  as  they  could  expect  to  get  from  us 
for  their  quit-claim  to  Texas,  and  Mexico,  therefore,  wili 
have  no  motive  to  negotiate  as  long  as  she  is  not  pressed 
for  these  claims  ; and  the  restoration  of  official  intercourse 
is  not  of  the  slightest  consequence  to  her.  The  few  Mexi- 
cans who  would  come  here,  would  be  in  no  danger  of  being 
oppressed,  and  nothing  would  be  more  convenient  to 
Mexico  than  that  we  should  have  no  minister  there  to 
trouble  the  government  with  complaints. 


CONCLUSION. 


Whilst  I was  engaged  in  writing  the  last  chapter,  I 
Teceived  through  the  newspapers  the  intelligence  of  ano- 
ther revolution  in  Mexico.  Machiavelli  remarks  of  the 
Republic  of  Florence  at  one  period  of  its  history,  that  a 
revolution  every  five  years  was  a necessary  part  of  the 
system.  Without  a radical  reform,  revolutions  in  Mexico 
must  unavoidably  occur  at  much  shorter  periods. 

Another  profound  remark  of  the  same  great  man,  whose 
character  presented  the  strange  paradox  of  the  apologist 
and  the  instructor  of  tyrants,  whilst  his  life  was  a martyr- 
dom to  liberty,  is  “ that  every  revolution  contains  the  seeds 
ofianother  and  scatters  them  behind  it.”  In  Mexico,  these 
seeds  have  been  sown  broadcast  over  the  land,  and  sprout 
spontaneously.  Whoever  may  be  at  the  head  of  the  gov- 
ernment, and  however  wisely  and  honestly  it  is  adminis- 
tered, there  can  be  no  well  grounded  hope  that  revolutions 
will  not  be  constantly  repeated  without  many  and  radical 
reforms.  Such  administrations  there  have  been  in  Mexico, 
but  I have  great  fears  that  they  are  not  likely  to  occur 
again : whatever  may  be  the  checks  and  guarantees  pro- 
vided in  the  constitution,  those  in  power  are  practically 
under  no  restraint,-— and  how  pure  soever  the  feelings  and 
purposes  with  which  they  enter  into  office,  the  temptations 


CONCLUSION. 


243 


are  too  many  and  too  powerful  to  be  easily  resisted; 
but,  as  things  now  are,  there  are  difficulties  which  no 
degree  of  virtue  or  talents  can  surmount.  It  is  not  possible 
to  raise  a sufficient  revenue  to  support  such  an  army,  church 
establishment,  and  civil  list,  with  a population  s 9 poor,  so 
indolent  and  unproductive.  The  experiment  of  establish- 
ing free  institutions  upon  a permanent  basis  in  Mexico,  is 
full  of  difficulties, — they  may  yet  be  overcome,  but  the  task 
is  a herculean  one.  The  population  consists  of  ignorant 
Indians,  debased  by  three  centuries  of  worse  than  colonial 
vassalage,  and  the  Spanish  oppressors  of  these  Indians  ; and 
it  is  hard  to  say  which  condition — that  of  the  oppressors  or 
the  oppressed — most  disqualifies  for  a just  appreciation  of 
the  great  principles  of  civil  liberty,  and  a firm  and  reso- 
lute purpose  to  establish  free  institutions.  No  people  has 
ever  established  or  long  maintained  a free  government 
without  an  enthusiasm,  a romantic  and  self-sacrificing  en- 
thusiasm in  the  cause  of  liberty,  that  Greek  feeling  by 
which  men  were  taught  that  they  were  born  for  their  coun- 
try. There  is  more  of  this  feeling  in  Mexico  than  is  gene- 
rally supposed,  and  more  than  might  be  expected  consider- 
ing the  demoralizing  influences  to  which  the  country  has  so 
long  been  subjected,  the  greatest  of  which  has  been  the 
constant  succession  of  revolutions  ; but  I greatly  fear  that 
this  feeling  is  not  often  to  be  found  in  high  places. 

General  Paredes  is  now  at  the  head  of  the  government. 
That  he  is  brave  and  patriotic  I have  never  heard  denied  ; 
but  his  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  the  camp,  and  he  must 
be  deficient  in  many  of  the  qualities  which  are  demanded 
by  his  present  responsible  position.  He  must  want  the 
necessary  reading  and  information  to  lay  the  foundations 
of  a government  wisely  adapted  to  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances and  condition  of  Mexico,  and,  besides  this,  he  has 


244 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


always  been  suspected  of  a strong  leaning  towards  monar- 
chy as  the  form  of  government  best  suited  to  his  country- 
men. He  has,  however,  passed  a portion  of  his  life  in  this 
country,  where  he  must  have  learned  something  both  of 
the  theory  and  practical  workings  of  free  institutions  ; may 
he  profit  by  the  information  thus  acquired,  and  use  it  for 
the  good  of  his  country, — his  mission  is  a high  one,  and  I 
hope  that  he  may  execute  it  worthily.  It  was  beyond 
doubt  in  the  power  of  Iturbide  to  have  established  a repub- 
lican government  in  Mexico,  which  would  have  been  perma- 
nent. Deep  and  lasting  is  the  execration  which  he  deserves 
for  not  having  done  it ; let  General  Paredes  profit  by  his 
example.  If  he  would  hearken  to  the  counsel  of  one  who 
sincerely  desires  the  welfare  of  Mexico,  and  who  enter- 
tains for  him  individually  feelings  of  kindness  and  respect, 
I would  advise  him  to  call  around  him  men  of  known  and 
unquestionable  probity  and  patriotism,  qualities  much 
more  important  than  high  talents.  Such  men  there  are  in 
Mexico.  Gomez  Farrias,  Pedraza,  Bustamente,  Almonte, 
if  called  to  the  administration,  would  give  assurance  to 
every  one  that  its  purposes  were  pure  and  patriotic.  Let 
him  not  inquire  into  past  political  opinions  or  party  divi- 
sions, the  present  crisis  is  one  of  too  portentous  importance 
to  think  of  such  things  for  a single  moment ; let  the  army 
be  immediately  reduced  to  not  more  than  five  thousand 
men, — the  privates  would  rejoice  to  be  released  from  a ser- 
vice into  which  they  were  carried  by  force,  and  let  the 
officers  be  disbanded  and  made  to  go  to  work  of  some  sort, 
and  for  the  first  insurrectionary  word  or  act  let  them  be  gar - 
voted , not  shot,  that  would  be  too  good  for  them.  The  army 
of  the  Vice-Regal  government  did  not  exceed  ten  thousand 
men  ; can  it  be  that  a despotism  is  less  a government  of 
force  than  a Republic?  If  the  army  was  thus  reduced  and 


CONCLUSION. 


245 


other  reforms  made,  the  burden  would  not  be  so  heavy  as 
to  require  that  the  laws  should  be  enforced  by  the  bayo- 
net, or  else  the  experiment  of  a republic  might  as  well  be 
abandoned  at  once. 

If  there  is  anything  true  in  the  science  of  political  econo- 
my— if  any  proposition  not  mathematical  is  susceptible  of 
demonstration,  it  is  that  the  productive  labor  and  resources 
of  Mexico  are  inadequate  to  the  maintenance  of  such  an 
army,  civil  list,  and  church  establishment.  And  with  the 
Mexican  people  the  only  panacea  for  evils  of  all  sorts  is  a 
new  revolution.  Without  this  and  other  reforms,  nothing 
is  more  certain  than  another  revolution  before  two  years, 
probably  before  one,  and  those  now  in  power  will  be  hurled 
from  their  places.  All  the  civil  wars  of  the  Roman  empire 
after  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar,  originated  with  the  generals 
of  the  army.  This  must  be  so  in  Mexico,  and  even  in  a 
greater  degree  from  the  inherent  and  constitutional  tenden- 
cy of  the  Spanish  race  to  civil  wars.  But  for  those  wars 
Spain  would  have  been  at  this  day  the  most  extensive  and 
powerful  empire  in  the  world.  The  army  of  Mexico  has 
never  done  anything  else  than  to  make  revolutions.  There 
is  no  single  good  which  it  has  accomplished.  What  use 
has  Mexico  for  a standing  army  ? No  foreign  power  will 
ever  invade  her.  There  is  no  motive,  not  even  that  of 
plunder,  to  do  so,  for  they  are  so  impoverished  that  they  have 
nothing  but  the  wealth  of  their  churches,  and  surely  no 
civilized  enemy  would  take  that.  They  have  fears  that  we 
will  assail  them.  I believe  that  those  fears  are  groundless, 
but  if  they  are  not,  what  earthly  resistance  could  Mexico 
offer?  A feeble  woman  and  a strong  man  armed  would 
inadequately  express  the  inequality  of  such  a contest.  Her 
impotency  and  helplessness  are  her  best  protection.  They 
talk  as  they  have  done  for  years  of  invading  Texas.  No 


246 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


such  thing  was  attempted  before  the  annexation  of  Texas 
to  this  country ; and  an  invasion  now  only  excites  a smile 
whenever  it  is  spoken  of.  Not  one  man  of  sense  in  Mexico 
either  desires  or  anticipates  such  a thing.  The  real  cause  of 
the  last  revolution  was  not,  as  was  professed,  because  the 
government  of  Herrera  was  opposed  to  invading  Texas,  but 
because  Paredes  very  much  preferred  to  such  an  invasion 
to  return  to  Mexico  and  achieve  a much  easier  and  more 
bloodless  triumph  over  his  own  government.  So  it  will 
always  be — an  army  may  commence  the  march,  but  long 
before  it  arrives  on  the  frontier  of  Texas  there  will  be  a 
new  pronunciamento,  and  it  will  return  and  overthrow  the 
government ; for  three  months  is  quite  long  enough  to  make 
any  administration  unpopular.  We  shall  then  have  another 
series  of  patriotic  proclamations  and  high-sounding  pro- 
mises to  reconquer  the  revolted  province,  as  it  is  still  called. 
General  Paredes  has  just  returned  from  the  Texas  frontier, 
and  no  one  knows  better  than  he  does  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  induce  a Mexican  army  of  fifty  thousand  men  to 
cross  the  line,  and  if  they  did  and  there  were  ten  thousand 
Americans  there  to  meet  them,  not  a Mexican  would  escape 
except  as  a deserter. 

There  is  another  and  equally  indispensable  reform  which 
I have  little  hope  will  be  made — the  curtailment  of  the 
revenues  and  the  power  of  the  priesthood,  and  the  free 
toleration  of  all  religions.  Without  this  I have  no  hope 
whatever  for  the  country.  When  Charles  I.  of  England 
visited  Spain  he  said  that  he  had  never  liked  the  Catholic 
religion,  but  that  he  had  never  detested  it  until  he  had 
visited  a Catholic  country.  I do  not  choose  to  say  that, 
but  I will  say  that  the  prevalence  of  that  religion  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  others,  and  the  power  of  the  priesthood  as 
it  exists  in  Mexico,  are,  in  my  judgment,  incompatible  with 


CONCLUSION. 


247 


a Republican  form  of  government.  Wherever  such  a state 
of  things  exists,  there  is  a power  behind  the  throne  greater 
than  the  throne.  The  more  ignorant  the  people,  the  greater 
is  this  power,  and  hence  the  opposition  of  the  Catholic 
priesthood  in  other  countries  than  Mexico  to  the  diffusion 
of  knowledge.  I have  not  visited  any  other  Catholic  coun- 
try, but  in  Mexico  the  subjection  of  fortune,  mind  and  body 
to  an  ignorant  and  licentious  priesthood,  is  a crying  and  a 
burning  shame.  But  to  say  nothing  of  anything  else,  the 
impositions  levied  by  the  church,  in  one  form  or  other,  are 
more  than  the  country  can  bear.  It  may  be  that  no  ad- 
ministration will  be  strong  enough  to  cope  with  the  power 
of  the  priesthood.  It  is  said  that  Santa  Anna  tried  it  and 
was  forced  to  yield.  If  this  be  so,  they  might  as  well 
abandon  at  once  all  hope  of  free  institutions.  The  two 
things  cannot  exist  together ; they  never  have,  and  they 
never  will. 

The  impression  is  a very  general  one,  and  is  daily  grow- 
ing more  so,  that  the  Mexican  people  are  not  prepared  for 
a republican  form  of  government.  It  will  be  seen,  however, 
that  by  their  very  complex  plan  of  elections,  the  right  of 
suffrage  is  very  much  restricted,  giving  to  the  government 
a somewhat  aristocratic  character, — this  in  a great  mea- 
sure removes  the  objection.  The  better  classes  of  Mexi- 
cans are  generally  intelligent,  and  I think  as  patriotic  as 
the  people  of  most  other  countries.  Their  revolutionary 
history  abounds  with  characters  and  incidents  of  disin- 
terestedness and  virtue  altogether  romantic.  They  possess 
many  of  the  elements  of  a great  people,  and  it  is  our  pecu- 
liar and  high-  duty  to  assist  in  their  development — a duty 
enforced  alike  by  philanthropy  and  by  policy.  But  it  must 
be  confessed  that  the  mass  of  the  population  are  very  much 
unenlightened. 


248 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


Nowhere  is  there  greater  enthusiasm  for  the  mere  words 
“ liberty  and  republic,”  of  the  true  meaning  of  which  they 
have  very  little  conception.  In  the  language  of  Milton’s 
withering  denunciation  of  his  own  countrymen — 

“ They  bawl  for  freedom  in  their  senseless  mood, 

And  still  revolt  when  truth  would  set  them  free — 

Licence  they  mean  when  they  cry  liberty. 

For  who  loves  that  must  first  be  wise  and  good — 

But  from  that  mark  how  far  they  rove  we  see. 

For  all  this  waste  of  wealth  and  loss  of  blood.” 

But  it  has  been  the  apology  of  tyrants  and  usurpers  in  all 
times,  that  the  people  were  not  capable  of  governing  them- 
selves— indeed,  it  is  said  that  no  people  are.  If  the  people 
of  Mexico  are  not  now  prepared  for  a republican  govern- 
ment, when  will  they  be  ? If  a European  Prince  should  be 
in  mercy  sent  them,  or  some  military  chieftain  of  their  own 
should  again  usurp  supreme  power,  will  they  then  be  taught 
the  great  principles  of  civil  liberty  and  the  rights  of  man, 
so  that  at  some  future  day  they  will  be  prepared  to  receive 
free  institutions  ? I borrow  from  an  elegant  writer*  the 
best  reply  to  all  such  arguments. 

“ Till  men  have  been  for  some  time  free,  they  know  not  how  to  use 
their  freedom.  The  natives  of  wine  countries  are  always  sober.  In 
climates  where  wine  is  a rarity,  intemperance  abounds.  A newly 
liberated  people  may  be  compared  to  a northern  army  encamped  on  the 
Rhine  or  the  Xeres.  It  is  said,  that  when  soldiers,  in  such  a situation, 
first  find  themselves  able  to  indulge  without  restraint  in  such  a rare  and 
expensive  luxury,  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  intoxication.  Soon,  how- 
ever, plenty  teaches  discretion ; and  after  wine  has  been  for  a few 
months  their  daily  fare,  they  become  more  temperate  than  they  had  ever 
been  in  their  own  country.  In  the  same  manner  the  final  and  perma- 
nent fruits  of  liberty  are  wisdom,  moderation,  and  mercy.  Its  immediate 


Macaulay. 


CONCLUSION. 


249 


effects  are  often  atrocious  crime,  conflicting  errors,  scepticism  on  points 
the  most  clear,  dogmatism  on  points  the  most  mysterious.  It  is  just  at 
this  crisis  that  its  enemies  love  to  exhibit  it — they  pull  down  the 
scaffolding  from  the  half  finished  edifice ; they  point  to  the  flying  dust, 
the  falling  bricks,  the  comfortless  rooms,  the  frightful  irregularity  of  the 
whole  appearance ; and  then  ask  in  scorn,  where  the  promised  splendor 
and  comfort  are  to  be  found  ? If  such  miserable  sophisms  were  to  pre- 
vail, there  would  never  be  a good  house  or  government  in  the  world. 

“ Ariosto  tells  a pretty  story  of  a fairy,  who,  by  some  mysterious  law  of 
her  nature,  was  condemned  to  appear  at  certain  seasons  in  the  form  of  a 
foul  and  poisonous  snake, — those  who  injured  her  during  the  period  of 
her  disguise  were  for  ever  excluded  from  participation  in  the  blessings 
which  she  bestowed.  But  to  those  who,  in  spite  of  her  loathsome 
aspect,  pitied  and  protected  her,  she  afterwards  revealed  herself  in  the 
beautiful  celestial  form  which  was  natural  to  her,  accompanied  their 
steps,  granted  all  their  wishes,  filled  their  houses  with  wealth,  made 
them  happy  in  love,  and  victorious  in  war, — such  a spirit  is  liberty.  At 
times  she  takes  the  form  of  a hateful  reptile — she  grovels,  she  hisses, 
she  stings, — but  wo  to  those  who  in  disgust  shall  venture  to  crush  her  ! 
And  happy  are  those  who,  having  dared  to  receive  her  in  her  degraded, 
frightful  shape,  shall  at  length  be  rewarded  by  her  in  the  time  of  her 
beauty  and  her  glory. 

“ There  is  only  one  cure  for  the  evils  which  newly  acquired  freedom 
produces — and  that  cure  is  freedom ! When  a prisoner  leaves  his  cell, 
he  cannot  bear  the  light  of  day — he  is  unable  to  discriminate  colors,  or 
recognize  faces, — but  the  remedy  is  not  to  remand  him  into  his  dun- 
geon, but  to  accustom  him  to  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  blaze  of  truth 
and  liberty  may  at  first  dazzle  and  bewilder  nations  which  have  become 
half  blind  in  the  house  of  bondage — but  let  them  gaze  on,  and  they  will 
soon  be  able  to  bear  it.  In  a few  years  men  learn  to  reason — the  ex- 
treme violence  of  opinion  subsides ; hostile  theories  correct  each  other  ; 
the  scattered  elements  of  truth  cease  to  conflict,  and  begin  to  coalesce  ; — 
at  length  a system  of  justice  and  order  is  educed  out  of  the  chaos. 

“ Many  politicians  of  our  time  are  in  the  habit  of  laying  it  down  as  a 
self-evident  proposition,  that  no  people  ought  to  be  free  till  they  are  fit  to 
use  their  freedom.  The  maxim  is  worthy  of  the  fool  in  the  old  story ^ 
who  resolved  not  to  go  into  the  water  till  he  had  learnt  to  swim ! If 
13* 


250 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


men  are  to  wait  for  liberty,  till  they  become  wise  and  good  in  slavery, 
they  may  indeed  wait  for  ever.” 

It  is  entirely  true  that  it  is  not  by  keeping  men  in  dark 
rooms  that  they  are  taught  to  discriminate  colors,  and  it  is 
equally  true  that  to  expose  suddenly  to  a bright  light  those 
who  have  long  been  kept  in  darkness,  is  apt  to  destroy 
the  vision  for  ever ; so  those  who  have  long  been  kept  in 
the  darkness  of  despotism  should  receive  the  light  of  free- 
dom cautiously  and  gradually.  I have  already  expressed 
the  opinion  that  Mexico  is  not  now  prepared  for  institutions 
as  free  as  ours,  but  it  by  no  means  follows  that  she  must  be 
consigned  to  hopeless  despotism.  It  has  been  suggested, 
and  is  even  talked  of  in  Mexico,  that  the  only  salvation 
for  the  country  is  that  a monarchy  should  be  established 
there,  and  some  European  prince  placed  upon  the  throne. 
Better  that  the  seven  phials  of  the  Apocalypse  should  be 
poured  out  upon  that  devoted  country.  Such  a measure 
would  involve  the  extermination  of  the  Mexican  people, 
more  particularly,  if,  as  has  been  suggested,  that  prince 
should  be  one  of  the  sons  of  Louis  Philippe.  No  united  peo- 
ple can  be  conquered,  and  upon  such  an  issue  as  that,  there 
would  be  little  division  of  opinion,  and  never  has  there 
existed  a race  of  more  unyielding  obstinacy  and  indomi- 
table fortitude  than  either  the  Spanish  or  the  Mexican. 
The  three  sieges  in  history  which  have  grown  into  proverbs 
for  the  heroic  fortitude  with  which  they  were  character- 
ized, Numantia,  Saguntum,  and  Saragossa,  were  all  in 
Spain, — and  the  siege  of  Mexico,  more  remarkable  than 
either,  attests  the  constancy  and  fortitude  of  the  Mexicans. 
A much  more  probable  result  is  the  successful  usurp- 
ation of  some  military  chieftain  of  their  own,  but  he  must 
be  a man  of  high  qualities.  It  may  be  that  the  different 


CONCLUSION. 


251 


departments  may  slough  off,  and  each  form  for  a time  a 
separate  government,  a sort  of  San  Marino,  but  not  like 
San  Marino  secure  in  its  virtues  from  the  contempt  or 
aggression  of  more  powerful  neighbors.  The  destiny  of 
Mexico  is  in  her  own  hands ; the  present  state  of  things 
cannot  last  much  longer,  no  people  can  long  endure  such 
misrule,  tumult,  and  anarchy.  There  must  be  a change ; 
the  present  forms  may  continue  for  a time,  but  it  will  only 
be  a lingering  agony.  The  path  of  liberty  is  thorny  and 
steep,  not  without  much  toil  and  many  trials,  has  any 
people  obtained  the  summit  to  which  it  leads  ; that  Mexico 
may  do  so,  I sincerely  hope,  although  it  would  almost  seem 
to  be  hoping  against  hope.  I can  only  say,  and  I do  so  in  all 
sincerity  and  truth; — may  God  send  her  a safe  deliverance! 


APPENDIX 


TRANSLATIONS  FROM  THE  TRUE  HISTORY  OF  THE  CONQUEST  OF 
NEW  SPAIN  BY  BERNAL  DIAZ. 


What  the  Marquis  del  Valle  did  after  his  return  to  Castile. 

As  his  Majesty  had  now  returned  to  Castile,  from  an  expedition  to  chastise 
the  city  of  Ghent,  he  raised  a large  army  to  attack  Algiers,  and  the  Marquis 
del  Valle  went  to  serve  in  it,  and  took  with  him  his  son  and  heir,  and 
also  his  son  Don  Martin  Cories  by  Donna  Marina,  and  a large  retinue  of 
esquires,  servants,  and  horses.  He  embarked  in  a handsome  galley  with 
Don  Henrique  Henriques : but  it  pleased  God  to  raise  so  violent  a storm 
that  nearly  the  whole  royal  armada  was  lost.  The  galley  in  which  Cortes 
sailed  was  also  sunk.  But  he  escaped  with  his  children  and  the  gentlemen 
who  accompanied  him,  but  not  without  great  risk  of  their  lives — although 
at  such  moments  there  is  no  time  for  reflection,  when  death  was  staring 
them  in  the  face,  many  of  the  servants  of  Cortes  said  that  they  saw  him 
bind  around  his  arm  some  small  bundles  containing  very  precious  stones 
which,  being  a great  lord,  he  had  carried  with  him — and  not  because  he 
had  any  use  for  them.  When  he  reached  the  shore  in  safety,  he  found 
that  he  had  lost  all  these  valuable  jewels,  which  were  worth  many  dollars 
in  gold. 

All  of  the  Captains  and  Masters  of  the  Camp  who  constituted  the  royal 
council  advised  his  Majesty  to  abandon  the  siege  of  Algiers,  and  sail  for 
Bexia — since  they  saw  that  our  Lord  had  been  pleased  to  raise  such  a 
storm  that  they  could  do  no  more  than  they  had  done.  Cortes  was  not 
summoned  to  this  council,  nor  was  his  opinion  asked.  But  when  he  was 
informed  of  it,  he  said  that  if  his  Majesty  were  pleased  to  entrust  the 
matter  to  him,  that — with  the  aid  of  God — the  good  fortune  of  our  Caesar, 


APPENDIX. 


253 


and  the  soldiers  which  they  then  had— he  would  take  Algiers.  He  then 
uttered  many  praises  of  his  captains  and  soldiers  who  had  been  with  him 
in  the  conquest  of  Mexico — “ that  we  were  the  men  to  endure  hunger  and 
fatigues  ; and,  although  wounded  and  toil-worn,  to  march  wherever  we 
were  ordered,  perform  heroic  achievements,  and  storm  every  city  and 
fortress,  although  at  the  imminent  peril  of  our  lives.”  When  many  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  expedition  heard  this,  they  said  to  his  Majesty  that  it 
would  have  been  better  to  have  invited  Cortes  to  the  council,  and  that  it 
was  a great  mistake  not  to  have  done  so — others  said  that  the  reason  that 
the  Marquis  was  not  invited  to  the  council  was,  that  they  knew  that  his 
opinion  would  be  opposed  to  raising  the  siege  ; and  that,  at  such  a moment 
of  imminent  peril,  there  was  no  time  for  councils,  except  as  to  the  means 
of  placing  in  safety  his  Majesty  and  the  gentlemen  of  his  retinue,  who 
were  in  the  greatest  danger  ; and  that  they  might  afterwards  return  and 
renew  the  siege  of  Algiers  : — and  so  they  departed  for  Buxia. 

Let  us  now  leave  this  subject,  and  speak  of  the  return  to  Castile  from 
this  toilsome  expedition. 

The  Marquis  was  weary  of  remaining  in  Castile  and  attending  upon  the 
court : and  on  his  return  from  Buxia  being  very  much  broken  down  by  the 
toils  of  the  expedition — was  greatly  desirous  of  returning  to  New  Spain, 
if  he  could  obtain  permission  to  do  so.  He  had  sent  to  Mexico  for  his 
oldest  daughter,  Donna  Maria  Cortes,  whom  he  had  contracted  in  marriage 
to  Don  Alvaro  Perez  Osorio,  the  heir  of  the  marquis  of  Astorga,  and  had 
promised  her  as  a marriage  portion  more  than  a hundred  thousand  ducats 
in  gold,  besides  a large  amount  in  jewels  and  other  articles  ; and  he  went 
to  Seville  to  receive  her. 

The  marriage  was  broken  off,  as  many  gentlemen  said,  from  the  fault  of 
Don  Alvaro  Perez  Osorio — which  so  much  enraged  the  Marquis  as  to 
bring  on  a fever,  accompanied  with  dysentery — and,  as  he  daily  grew 
worse,  he  determined  to  leave  Seville,  to  relieve  himself  from  the  impor- 
tunities of  those  who  had  business  with  him,  and  he  retired  to  the  town 
of  Castilleja  de  la  Cuesta,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  his  soul,  and 
making  his  will : which,  when  he  had  done,  and  received  the  holy  sacra- 
ment, our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  pleased  to  remove  him  from  this  trouble- 
some world.  He  died  on  the  2d  of  December,  in  the  year  1547.  His  body 
was  carried  with  great  pomp  and  a large  procession  of  the  clergy,  and  gen- 
tlemen in  mourning,  and  buried  in  the  chapel  of  the  Dukes  of  Medina  Si- 
donia.  His  bones  were  afterwards  carried  to  New  Spain,  and  were,  ac- 
cording to  the  directions  of  his  will,  deposited  in  a sepulchre  in  Cuyoacan 
or  Tezcuco,  I am  not  certain  which.  I will  now  state  what  I think  his  age 
was,  from  facts  which  I will  state.  The  year  in  which  we  sailed  from  Cuba 


254 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


for  New  Spain  was  that  of  1519.  He  then  frequently  sa  1 in  conversation 
with  us,  his  companions  of  the  expedition,  that  he  was  thirty-four  years 
old ; to  which  add  twenty-eight  more,  until  he  died,  and  i’t  makes  sixty- 
two. 

The  legitimate  children  which  he  left  were — Don  Martin  Cortes,  the 
present  Marquis  ; Donna  Maria  Cortes,  who,  I have  before  said,  was  con- 
tracted in  marriage  to  Don  Alvaro  Perez  Osorio,  the  heir  of  the  Mar- 
quisate  of  Astorga,  and  who  afterwards  married  the  Count  Luna  de  Leon ; 
Donna  Juanna,  who  married  Don  Hernando  Henriques,  the  heir  of  the 
Marquisate  of  Tarfffa  ; Donna  Catalina  Arillano,  who  died  in  Seville.  These 
all  came  to  Castile  with  their  mother,  the  Marchioness  Donna  Joana  Zu- 
niga, accompanied  by  her  brother,  the  friar  Don  Antonio  de  Zuniga. 

There  was  another  daughter,  who  was  in  Mexico — Donna  Leonor  Cortes, 
— who  married  one  Juanes  de  Tolosa,  a Biscaiynian,  who  was  worth  more 
than  a hundred  thousand  dollars,  besides  rich  silver  mines.  The  young 
marquis  was  much  enraged  at  this  marriage  when  he  arrived  in  New 
Spain.  He  had  also  two  illegitimate  sons.  Don  Martin  Cortes,  whose 
mother  was  Donna  Marina,  and  who  was  a knight  of  the  Order  of  Santiago, 
and  Luis  Cortes,  also  a knight  of  Santiago,  and  whose  mother  was  Dona 
Hermosilla.  He  left  also  three  illegitimate  daughters  ; one  by  an  Indian 
woman  of  Cuba,  and  the  others  by  Mexican  women.  He  gave  to  these 
illegitimate  daughters  handsome  dowries ; for  in  their  infancy  he  gave 
them  some  valuable  Indian  villages  called  Chinanta. 

As  to  the  provisions  of  his  will  I cannot  speak  positively,  but  I am  sure 
that  they  were  wise  and  proper,  for  he  had  ample  time  for  that  purpose,  and 
as  he  was  then  an  old  man  I do  not  doubt  that  it  was  done  wisely.  To  relieve 
his  conscience  he  ordered  a hospital  to  be  built  in  Mexico,  and  a monastery 
in  his  Town  of  Cuyoacan,  which  is  two  leagues  from  Mexico,  and  that  his 
bones  should  be  carried  to  New  Spain.  He  left  ample  funds  to  carry  into 
ex  ?cution  all  the  provisions  of  his  will  which  were  many  and  good,  and 
such  as  became  a good  Christian,  all  of  which  I do  not  enumerate,  both  to 
avoid  prolixity  and  because  I do  not  remember  them  all.  The  motto  and 
blazon  on  his  arms  were  those  of  a very  valiant  gentleman  and  expressive 
of  his  heroic  actions,  but  as  they  were  in  Latin,  and  I do  not  understand 
the  Latin  language,  I shall  not  attempt  to  give  them.  The  heads  of  seven 
captive  kings  were  engraved  on  his  escutcheon,  and  as  I understand  it, 
these  seven  captive  Kings  were  Montezuma  the  great  lord  of  Mexico, 
Cacamatqui,  the  nephew  of  Montezuma,  and  the  great  lord  of  Tezcuco, 
Coadlavaca  the  lord  of  Iztapalapa  and  other  villages,  the  lord  of  Tacuba, 
the  lord  of  Cuyoacan,  and  another  great  Cacique  of  two  provinces  called 
Tulapa  which  were  adjoining  Matalcuigo.  This  last,  it  was  said,  was  the 


APPENDIX. 


255 


son  of  a sister  of  Montezuma,  and  a very  near  heir  to  the  throne  of  Mexico. 
The  last  of  these  kings  was  Guatemuz,  who  defended  his  provinces  and 
city  when  we  conquered  them.  These  were  the  seven  Caciques  which 
were  engraved  upon  his  arms  and  escutcheon,  for  I do  not  remember 
any  other  kings  who  were  at  any  time  prisoners,  as  I have  stated  in  former 
chapters.  I will  now  pass  on  and  describe  the  person  and  disposition  of 
Cortes.  He  was  of  good  person  and  stature,  well  proportioned  and  muscu- 
lar ; the  color  of  his  face  was  somewhat  of  an  ashy  paleness,  and  not  very 
pleasant  to  look  upon.  If  his  face  had  been  somewhat  longer  it  would 
have  been  better  ; the  expression  of  his  eyes  was  at  times  amorous,  at  other 
times  grave  ; his  beard  thin,  brown  and  stiff ; his  hair  the  same  ; his  breast 
full,  and  his  shoulders  well  formed ; he  was  thin  and  had  a small  stomach  ; 
a little  bow-legged,  with  well  shaped  legs  and  thighs.  He  was  a fine 
horseman,  and  was  dexterous  in  the  use  of  all  kinds  of  arms,  both  on  foot 
and  on  horseback,  but  above  all  he  had  the  heart  and  spirit  which  is  of  most 
importance.  I have  heard  it  said,  that  when  a young  man  in  the  island 
of  Hispaniola,  he  was  somewhat  irregular  in  his  amours,  and  that  he  was 
sometimes  engaged  in  duels  with  dexterous  swordsmen,  in  all  of  which  he 
was  victorious ; he  had  the  scar  of  a swordcut  on  his  under  lip,  which 
he  had  received  in  some  of  these  rencontres,  which  upon  close  examina- 
tion could  be  seen,  but  he  kept  it  covered  with  his  beard.  In  his  pre- 
sence, movements,  conversation,  eating,  dress,  in  everything  he  showed 
the  great  lord. 

His  clothes  were  of  the  fashion  of  the  time,  he  cared  nothing  for  silks 
nor  damasks  nor  satins,  but  always  dressed  neatly  and  plainly  ; neither  did. 
he  wear  large  chains  of  gold,  but  a small  one  of  gold  of  the  finest  work- 
manship with  a small  medallion,  attached  to  it,  on  one  side  of  which  was 
an  image  of  our  lady  the  holy  Virgin  Mary  with  her  precious  Son  in  her 
arms,  and  an  inscription  in  Latin, — on  the  other  side  an  image  of  Saint 
John  the  Baptist,  with  another  Latin  inscription  under  it ; he  also  wore  on 
his  finger  a costly  diamond  ring.  On  his  cap,  which  according  to  the 
fashion  of  the  time  was  of  velvet,  he  wore  another  medallion,  I do  not 
remember  what  face  was  engraved  upon  it,  nor  the  inscription.  Later  in 
life  he  wore  a plain  cap  without  the  medallion. 

The  furniture  of  his  house,  his  retinue  and  servants,  were  those  of  a great 
lord  ; with  major-domos,  pages,  &c.,  and  many  large  vessels  of  silver  and 
of  gold.  He  ate  heartily  at  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  drank  a half-pint  glass 
of  wine  and  water  ; the  only  other  meal  which  he  took  was  supper.  He 
cared  nothing  for  delicate  or  costly  dishes,  except  on  occasions  when  such 
things  w’ere  necessary,  and  then  he  did  not  regard  the  cost  of  them. 
He  was  always  very  affable  with  all  the  captains  and  soldiers,  especially 


256 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


with  those  of  us  who  first  sailed  with  him  from  Cuba.  He  was  a good 
Latin  scholar,  and  I have  heard  it  said  that  he  was  a Bachelor  of  Laws, 
and  whenever  he  conversed  with  learned  men  and  Latin  scholars  the  con- 
versation was  always  in  Latin.  He  was  something  of  a poet,  and  sometimes 
wrote  couplets ; his  conversation  was  agreeable  and  very  polished ; he 
prayed  every  morning  and  heard  mass  with  devotion,  he  had  for  his  advo- 
cate and  intercessor  our  lady  the  Virgin  Mary,  as  every  good  Christian 
should  have  ; he  also  had  for  his  saints,  St.  Peter,  St.  James,  and  St.  John 
the  Baptist.  He  was  very  charitable  ; whenever  he  swore  he  would  say,  “ on 
my  conscience  when  he  was  angry  with  any  of  our  soldiers  he  would  say, 
“ oh  ! may  you  repent  of  this  when  very  much  excited,  the  veins  of  his 
neck  and  forehead  would  swell,  and  he  would,  sometimes,  when  greatly 
enraged,  throw  off  his  mantle,  but  he  was  never  known  to  utter  an  injuri- 
ous or  offensive  word  to  any  captain  or  soldier.  He  was  extremely  patient 
and  forbearing,  which  he  had  great  occasion  to  be,  for  the  soldiers  would 
often  say  inconsiderately  most  offensive  things,  but  he  never  replied  with 
harshness  or  unkindness  ; the  most  that  he  would  say,  was,  “ Be  silent,  or 
go  in  God’s  name,  but  for  the  future  have  a care  what  you  say  or  it  will 
cost  you  dear,  for  I will  punish  you.” 

He  was  very  obstinate,  especially  in  all  military  matters  ; for  he  persist- 
ed in  all  the  ill-advised  combats  into  which  he  led  us,  when  we  made  the 
excursion  in  the  lake  to  reconnoitre  Mexico ; and  in  the  battles  of 
Pinoles,  which  are  to  this  day  called  the  pinoles  of  the  Marquis,  notwith* 
standing  all  the  counsel  and  advice  which  we  gave  him  to  the  contrary. 
We  all  advised  him  against  attempting  to  ascend  to  the  fortress  on  the  top 
of  those  Pinoles  (craggy  mountains),  but  that  we  should  surround  them, 
and  not  expose  us  to  the  large  rocks  which  they  would  hurl  over  the  sides 
of  the  mountain  upon  us,  and  against  which  we  could  not  defend  ourselves, 
and  that  to  attempt  it  would  expose  us  all  to  almost  certain  destruction  ; 
but  he  persisted  in  his  own  course  against  the  opinions  of  us  all.  We  had 
to  commence  the  ascent,  and  great  was  the  danger  to  which  we  were  ex- 
posed. Ten  or  twelve  of  our  soldiers  were  killed,  and  all  of  us  more  or 
less  bruised  and  wounded,  without  accomplishing  anything  until  other 
counsels  were  adopted.  And  then  again  : in  the  expedition  to  Honduras, 
wThen  Christoval  de  Ali  revolted  with  the  armada  under  his  command,  I 
more  than  once  advised  that  we  should  take  the  route  through  the  moun- 
tains, but  he  persisted  in  taking  that  along  the  coast.  In  this  he  was  again 
mistaken  ; for  that  which  I recommended  passed  the  whole  way  through 
an  inhabited  country.  This  will  be  understood  by  every  one  who  has 
passed  through  that  country.  From  Guagacualco  the  road  is  plain  and 
direct  to  Chiapas,  thence  to  Guatemala,  and  from  Guatemala  to  Naco, 


APPENDIX. 


257 


where  Christoval  de  Ali  then  was.  But  I will  say  no  more  on  that  sub- 
ject. When  we  first  arrived  at  Villa  Rica,  and  commenced  building  the 
fortress,  the  first  man  who  struck  a spade  in  the  ground  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion was  Cortes,  and  in  all  our  battles  he  was  in  the  midst  of  us.  The 
first  which  I will  here  mention  were  the  battles  in  Tabasco,  where  he' 
commanded  the  cavalry  and  fought  bravely.  I have  already  stated  how  he 
labored  in  constructing  the  fortress  in  Villa  Rica.  And  then  his  sinking 
the  thirteen  vessels — which  was  done  by  the  advice  of  our  valiant  captains 
and  brave  soldiers,  and  not  as  Gomara  relates  it.  In  the  three  battles  with 
the  Tlascalans  he  showed  himself  an  able  and  valiant  captain.  And  again  : 
our  entry  into  the  city  of  Mexico  with  only  four  hundred  soldiers,  is 
worthy  of  admiration  ; and  the  audacity  of  seizing  Montezuma  in  his  palace, 
surrounded  as  he  was  by  so  many  of  his  guards,  which  was  also  done  by 
the  advice  of  all  our  captains  and  soldiers.  Another  thing  which  should, 
not  be  forgotten  was  the  burning  before  the  palace  of  Montezuma  some  of 
his  captains  who  were  concerned  in  the  killing  of  our  captain,  Juan  Esca- 
lande,  and  seven  soldiers.  I do  not  remember  the  names  of  these  Mexican 
captains,  but  it  is  a matter  of  no  consequence.  And  what  an  act  of  daring 
courage  was  it  to  march  against  Pamphilo  Narvaez,  the  captain  sent  by 
Diego  Velasquez,  with  thirteen  hundred  men,  ninety  of  them  cavalry,  and 
as  many  more  armed  with  muskets,  when  we  had  only  two  hundred  and 
sixty-six  men  without  horses,  muskets,  or  cross-bows,  and  no  other  wea- 
pons than  pikes,  swords,  and  daggers,  and  by  all  the  arts  and  stratagems  of 
war  we  defeated  Narvaez  and  made  him  prisoner.  I will  pass  on  to  our 
second  entry  into  the  city  of  Mexico,  when  we  went  to  the  relief  of  Pedro 
Alvarado,  when  we  ascended  into  the  lofty  temple  of  their  idol,  Huichilo- 
bos.  There  again  Cortes  showed  himself  a most  valiant  man  ; but  neither 
his  prowess  nor  our  own  availed  us  anything.  Then  again : in  the  very 
celebrated  battle  of  Atumba,  where  all  the  flower  of  the  bravest  Mexican 
warriors  were  awaiting  us  with  the  hope  of  destroying  us  all,  when  Cortes 
attacked  the  standard-bearer  of  Guatemuz  and  forced  him  to  lower  his  ban- 
ner, and  thereby  struck  down  the  spirit  of  the  Mexican  squadrons  which 
had  been  fighting  most  valiantly.  In  this,  next  to  God,  he  received  the 
most  important  aid  from  our  brave  captains  Pedro  Alvarado,  Gonzalas  de 
Sandoval,  Christoval  de  Ali,  Diego  de  Ardas,and  Andres  de  Tapia.  There 
were  other  brave  soldiers,  but  as  they  had  no  horses,  I do  not  name  them. 
Some  of  the  soldiers  of  Narvaez  also  did  us  good  service.  He  who  killed 
the  Mexican  standard-bearer  was  Juan  de  Salamanca,  a native  of  Ontive- 
ros, and  he  took  from  him  a rich  plume,  which  he  gave  to  Cortes.  I will 
pass  on  to  the  battle  of  Iztapalapa,  in  which  Cortes  was  engaged  with  us, 
and  where  also  he  bore  himself  like  an  able  captain.  And  then  again  at 


258 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


Suchimelico,  where  the  Mexican  squadrons  pulled  him  from  his  horse,  and 
he  was  rescued  by  some  of  our  Tlascalan  friends,  but  more  than  all  by  our 
brave  soldier,  Christoval  de  Olea,  a native  of  old  Castile.  Let  the  reader 
take  notice  there  was  one  named  Christoval  de  Ali,  but  this  was  Christoval 
de  Olea.  I mention  this  that  it  may  not  be  said  by  any  one  that  I have 
made  a mistake.  Cortes  also  showed  himself  a very  brave  man  in  our 
second  siege  of  Mexico  when  the  Mexicans  defeated  him  on  the  narrow 
causeway,  and  carried  off  and  sacrificed  sixty-two  of  our  soldiers,  and  had 
wounded  Cortes  in  the  leg,  and  had  him  in  their  clutches,  and  were  car- 
rying him  also  to  the  sacrifice,  when  it  pleased  God  that  by  his  own  strength 
and  good  fighting,  and  the  timely  aid  of  this  same  Christoval  de  Olea,  who 
had  before  rescued  him  at  Suchimelico,  Cortes  was  enabled  to  mount  his 
horse,  and  his  life  was  again  saved.*  But  the  brave  Olea  was  himself  left 
dead  on.  the  causeway  ; and  even  now  while  I am  writing,  my  heart  melts 
at  the  remembrance  of  him,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  I see  him  with  his  no- 
ble presence  and  great  soul,  just  as  when  he  so  often  aided  us  in  battle,  and 
it  makes  me  sad,  for  he  was  a native  of  my  own  country,  and  the  kinsman 
of  my  kinsmen. 

I shall  mention  no  more  of  the  heroic  actions  of.  our  Marquis  Del  Valle, 
for  they  were  so  numerous  that  I should  not  soon  come  to  an  end  in  relat- 
ing them.  I will  now  speak  of  his  temper  and  disposition.  He  was  very 
fond  of  games  at  cards  and  dice,  and  when  he  was  engaged  in  such  games 
he  was  very  affable  and  pleasant,  and  would  indulge  in  jests  and  pleasant- 
ries, as  is  usual  with  those  who  game.  He  was  extremely  vigilant  in 
all  our  campaigns  during  the  conquest,  and  would  often  go  the  rounds  at 
night  and  challenge  the  sentinels,  and  would  go  into  the  quarters  of  the 
soldiers,  and  if  he  found  any  of  them  sleeping  with  their  armor  or  sandals 
off,  he  would  reprimand  them,  saying  “ that  it  was  a mean  sheep  that  felt 
the  weight  of  its  own  wool.” 

When  we  went  to  Honduras  I observed  one  thing  which  I had  never 
noticed  before,  which  was,  that  after  he  had  eaten,  if  he  did  not  sleep  a 
short  time  he  became  sick  at  the  stomach.  To  avoid  this  we  placed  an 
awning  under  a tree  or  some  other  shade,  and  however  hot  the  sun  might 
be  shining,  or  hard  it  might  be  raining,  he  would  take  a short  sleep  and 
then  resume  the  march.  During  the  wars  of  the  conquest  he  was  very  thin 
and  had  a small  stomach,  but  after  his  return  from  Honduras  he  became 
quite  fat.  I noticed  also  that  his  beard  was  again  brown,  although  before 
it  had  been  somewhat,  grey.  I would  notice  also  that  he  was  extremely 

* The  only  liberty  which  I have  taken  with  the  original,  is  to  transfer  to  this  paragraph 
one  line  which  occurs  a few  pages  afterwards.  In  all  other  respects  the  translation  is 
literal  and  exact. 


APPENDIX. 


259 


liberal  in  the  expenditure  of  money  until  his  second  return  from  Castile, 
in  the  year  1540,  but  that  after  that  he  was  considered  parsimonious.  He 
had  a law-suit  with  one  of  his  servants  whose  name  was  Ulloa,  because  he 
refused  to  pay  him  his  wages.  And  we  may  observe  that  after  he  had 
completed  the  conquest  of  New  Spain  he  had  many  troubles  and  difficul- 
ties, and  expended  much  money  in  the  expeditions  which  he  undertook 
He  did  not  succeed  either  in  his  expedition  to  California,  nor  in  that  to 
Hiqueras,nor  in  anything  else  after  he  finished  the  conquest  of  the  country, 
perhaps  because  his  rewards  were  reserved  for  him  in  heaven,  and  such  I 
believe  was  the  case,  for  he  was  a worthy  gentleman,  and  very  much  de- 
voted to  the  Virgin  and  to  St.  Peter  and  all  the  other  saints.  May  God 
pardon  him  his  sins  and  me  mine,  and  grant  me  a happy  end,  which  is  of 
more  importance  than  all  our  conquests  and  victories  over  the  Indians. 

How  they  had  concerted  a plan  in  this  city  of  Cholula  to  destroy  us  all  by  the  orders  of 
Montezuma ; and  what  was  done  in  the  matter. 

Although  we  had  been  received  with  all  the  solemnity  and  good-will  which 
I have  described,  it  afterwards  appeared  that  Montezuma  had  sent  orders  to 
his  ambassadors  who  were  there  with  us,  to  make  arrangements  with  the 
Cholulans,  that  in  conjunction  with  a squadron  of  twenty  thousand  men 
which  he  had  sent,  that  they  should  make  war  upon  us,  and  that  they  should 
attack  us  by  day  and  by  night,  and  that  they  should  send  as  many  of  us  as 
they  could  tied  to  Mexico.  He  also  sent  them  many  presents  of  clothes  and 
jewels,  and  a drum  of  gold.  He  also  promised  the  Papas  (priests)  of  that 
city,  that  they  should  have  twenty  of  us  to  sacrifice  to  their  idols.  Every- 
thing was  thus  arranged,  and  the  warriors  whom  Montezuma  sent  had  ar- 
rived, and  were  quartered  in  some  small  houses  about  half  a league  from  the 
city  of  Cholula ; others  were  concealed  in  the  houses  in  the  city,  all  prepared 
with  arms  in  their  hands.  They  had  also  erected  breastworks  on  the  azoteas 
(roofs  of  the  houses),  and  had  dug  ditches  across  the  streets  to  obstruct  the 
passage  of  our  horses.  Some  of  the  houses  were  even  filled  with  large 
rods,  to  scourge  us  with,  and  collars  and  cords  made  of  dressed  skins  with 
which  to  tie  us,  and  take  us  to  Mexico ; but  our  Lord  God  was  pleased  to 
order  things  better,  and  all  their  calculations  were  reversed. 

We  were  all  in  our  quarters,  as  I have  before  stated ; and,  although  they 
furnished  us  with  abundance  of  excellent  provisions,  and  seemed  to  be 
altogether  friendly,  we  did  not  omit  any  of  those  precautions  which  it  had 
always  been  our  good  custom  to  observe.  The  third  day  they  brought  us 
nothing  to  eat,  nor  did  any  of  the  caciques  or  papas  make  their  appear- 
ance ; and  if  any  of  the  Indians  came  to  see  us,  they  kept  at  a distance,  and 
would  not  approach  near  to  us,  and  were  laughing  as  at  some  jest.  When 


260 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


I 


our  captain  saw  this,  he  directed  our  interpreters,  Donna  Marina  and 
Aguilar,  to  tell  the  ambassadors  of  Montezuma  to  order  the  caciques  to 
bring  us  something  to  eat.  All  that  they  brought  us  was  wood  and  water, 
and  the  old  men  who  brought  them  said  that  they  had  no  maize.  They 
also  stated  that  other  ambassadors  from  Montezuma  had  that  day  arrived, 
and  joined  those  who  were  already  there  ; and  they  said,  without  any  con- 
cealment or  respect  for  us  whatever,  that  Montezuma  had  ordered  that  we 
should  not  go  to  his  city,  for  he  had  nothing  for  us  to  eat,  and  that  they 
desired  to  return  immediately  to  Mexico  with  our  answer. 

Although  this  conversation  was  not  agreeable  to  Cortes,  he  replied  in 
bland  words  to  the  ambassadors,  and  said,  that  he  wondered  greatly  that  so 
great  a lord  as  Montezuma  should  adopt  so  many  different  resolutions, 
and  begged  that  they  would  not  return  until  the  next  day,  for  that  he  then 
intended  to  go  and  see  him,  and  would  do  whatever  he  ordered.  And  it 
seems  to  me  that  he  also  gave  them  some  strands  of  beads.  The  ambassa- 
dors said  that  they  would  wait.  Our  captain  then  ordered  us  to  assemble, 
and  said  to  us — “ These  people  seem  to  be  very  much  excited,  and  it 
behooves  us  to  be  very  much  on  the  alert,  or  some  evil  will  befall  us.”  He 
then  sent  for  the  principal  cacique,  whose  name  I do  not  remember,  or  that 
he  should  send  him  some  of  the  head  men  of  the  city.  He  replied,  that  he 
was  sick,  and  could  not  come,  and  that  he  would  not  send  the  others. 
Our  captain  seeing  this,  ordered  that  we  should  induce,  by  kind  words, 
two  of  the  papas  to  come  to  him,  many  of  whom  were  then  assembled  in 
an  idol  temple  near  to  our  quarters ; we  brought  two  of  them  without 
offering  them  any  disrespect  whatever.  Cortes  ordered  that  a chalchihui 
stone,  very  much  like  emeralds,  and  held  in  great  estimation  amongst 
them,  should  be  given  to  each  of  them,  and  asked  them,  in  the  kindest 
manner — “ Why  it  was  that  the  caciques  and  papas  were  frightened  at  his 
sending  for  them,  and  had  refused  to  come  to  him.”  As  it  appeared,  one 
of  these  papas  was  a very  distinguished  person  amongst  them,  and  had 
power  and  authority  in  nearly  all  the  idol  temples  of  that  city — something 
like  a bishop  amongst  them — and  was  held  in  great  reverence  by  them. 
He  replied  that  the  papas  had  no  fears  of  us,  and  that  he  would  go  and  see 
the  caciques  and  head  men,  and  that,  after  he  had  talked  to  them,  he  did 
not  doubt  that  they  would  come.  Cortes  told  him  to  go  at  once,  and  that 
his  companion  should  remain  until  he  returned.  The  papa  went  and 
summoned  the  cacique  and  head  men,  and  they  immediately  came  with  him 
to  the  quarters  of  Cortes. 

He  then  asked  them,  through  our  interpreters,  Donna  Marina  and 
Aguilar,  what  had  caused  their  fears,  and  why  they  had  not  brought 
us  the  usual  supplies  of  provisions;  and  told  them  that  if  they  were 


APPENDIX. 


261 


displeased  with  our  remaining  in  their  city,  that  we  would  depart  the 
next  morning  for  Mexico,  to  see  and  converse  with  their  Lord  Montezuma, 
and  that  they  must  have  temames  (porters)  ready  to  carry  our  baggage  and 
cannon,  but  that  they  must  immediately  bring  us  something  to  eat.  The 
cacique  was  so  confused  that  he  did  not  know  what  to  say.  He  said,  that 
as  to  food,  they  would  seek  for  it,  but  that  their  Lord  Montezuma  had 
ordered  them  not  to  supply  us  with  any,  nor  to  allow  us  to  advance  any 
farther.  Whilst  engaged  in  this  conversation,  three  friendly  Indians  of 
Cempoal  said  privately  to  Cortes,  that  they  had  discovered  near  our  quar- 
ters some  ditches  cut  across  the  street,  and  so  covered  over  with  wood  and 
earth,  that  they  could  not  be  seen  but  upon  close  examination ; that  they 
had  removed  the  earth  from  the  top  of  one  of  these  ditches,  and  found  it 
full  of  stakes  with  very  sharp  points,  for  the  purpose  of  killing  our  horses 
as  they  attempted  to  cross  them ; and  that  on  the  azoteas  they  had  con- 
structed a kind  of  breastwork  of  clay,  and  had  large  supplies  of  stones  also 
All  of  which  was  certainly  well  arranged. 

At  this  moment  eight  of  our  Tlascalan  friends,  who  had  not  been  allow- 
ed to  enter  the  city  of  Cholula,  came  to  Cortes  and  said,  “ Look  you, 
Malinche,  there  is  something  wrong  going  on  in  this  city,  for  we  know 
that  they  have  this  night  sacrificed,  to  the  God  of  war,  seven  persons, 
five  of  them  children,  that  he  may  give  them  the  victory  over  you, — we 
have  also  noticed  that  they  have  removed  all  their  property,  and  their 
women  and  children  out  of  the  city.”  As  soon  as  Cortes  heard  this,  he 
ordered  them  to  go  forthwith  to  their  Tlascalan  captains  and  tell  them  to 
be  prepared  and  ready  at  a moment’s  warning,  whenever  he  should  send 
for  them.  He  then  turned  to  the  Caciques  and  Papas  and  told  them  to 
have  no  fears,  nor  be  in  any  degree  disturbed ; that  they  should  obey  and 
not  break  their  faith  with  him,  and  that  if  they  did  he  would  chastise 
them ; that  he  had  already  told  them  that  we  desired  to  depart  in  the 
morning,  and  that  he  required  that  they  should  supply  him  with  two 
thousand  warriors  as  the  Tlascalans  had  done.  They  replied  that  they 
would  supply  him  both  with  the  warriors  which  he  required,  and  the 
Tamemes  to  carry  his  baggage  and  cannon ; and  asked  permission  to  go 
and  make  the  necessary  preparations ; and  were  very  happy  when  they 
left  us,  for  they  calculated  that  with  the  warriors  whom  they  were  to  sup- 
ply us,  and  the  squadrons  which  Montezuma  had  sent,  and  which  were 
then  waiting  outside  of  the  city,  that  not  one  of  us  could  escape  alive,  by 
reason  of  the  ditches  across  the  streets  over  which  the  horses  could  not 
pass,  and  the  breastworks  and  other  defences  which  they  had  erected. 
They  directed  their  Mexican  allies  to  be  well  prepared,  for  that  we  were 
to  depart  the  next  day  with  two  thousand  warriors  which  they  were  to 


262 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


supply  us,  and  that  as  we  carelessly  pursued  our  march  that  they  could 
seize  upon  their  prey  and  tie  us ; that  of  this  they  were  certain,  for  that 
they  had  sacrificed  to  their  idols  who  had  promised  them  the  victory  over 
us. 

Let  us  leave  them  in  this  security  and  return  to  our  Captain,  who 
was  anxious  to  ascertain  all  the  particulars  of  the  plot  and  what  was  going 
on.  He  told  Donna  Marina  to  take  two  more  Chalchihuis  to  the  two 
Papas  with  whom  he  had  before  conversed,  and  in  kind  words  to  say  to 
them  that  Malinche  desired  to  converse  with  them  again,  and  that  she 
should  bring  them  with  her.  Donna  Marina  went  and  spoke  to  them  in  that 
manner  which  she  so  well  knew  how  to  do,  and  gave  them  the  presents  ; 
they  returned  with  her  immediately.  Cortes  told  them  to  tell  him  truly 
everything  that  they  knew,  that  they  were  priests  of  idols  and  chiefs  in 
the  city,  and  that  it  did  not  become  them  to  lie,  and  that  whatever  they 
might  communicate  to  him,  should  on  no  account  be  disclosed,  that  we 
should  leave  their  city  the  next  day,— he  also  promised  to  give  them  a 
large  quantity  of  clothes.  They  then  told  Cortes  that  the  truth  was,  that 
their  Lord  Montezuma  knew  that  we  were  going  to  his  city  ; that  he  every 
day  formed  different  resolutions,  and  that  his  mind  was  still  in  doubt  what 
to  do  ; that  sometimes  he  would  order  them,  that  if  we  came  there  to  re- 
ceive and  treat  us  with  great  honor,  and  that  we  should  proceed  to  his 
city.  At  other  times  he  would  send  to  say  to  them  that  it  was  not  his  will 
that  we  should  go  to  his  city,  and  that  now  the  last  advice  which  he  had  re- 
ceived from  his  idols,  Tezcatepuca  and  Huichilobos,  which  he  regards 
with  great  devotion,  was  to  kill  us  all  there  in  Cholula,  or  carry  us  tied 
to  Mexico  ; that  he  had  the  day  before  sent  twenty  thousand  warriors,  one 
half  of  whom  were  already  in  the  city,  and  the  other  half  near  there  sta- 
tioned in  some  ravines ; that  they  were  already  advised  of  our  departure 
the  next  day,  and  the  defences  which  had  been  constructed  in  the  city, 
and  the  two  thousand  Cholulan  warriors  that  were  to  accompany  us,  and 
of  the  agreement  which  had  been  entered  into  ; that  twenty  of  us  were  to 
be  left  to  be  sacrificed  to  the  idols  of  Cholula.  Upon  hearing  all  this, 
Cortes  gave  them  mantas  finely  worked,  and  besought  them  to  speak  of 
what  had  passed  to  no  one,  and  that  if  they  did,  on  our  return  from  Mexi- 
co we  would  kill  them  ; that  he  desired  to  leave  Cholula  very  early  in  the 
morning,  and  requested  that  they  would  bring  all  the  chiefs  to  talk  with 
him. 

That  night  Cortes  called  a council  to  determine  on  the  course  to  be  pur- 
sued, for  he  had  many  wise  men  and  prudent  councillors  ; and,  as  in  like 
cases  it  often  happens,  some  advised  that  we  should  change  our  route  and 
go  by  Guaxacingo  ; others  said  that  we  should  endeavor  to  preserve  peace 


APPENDIX. 


263 


fay  all  possible  means,  and  that  we  should  return  to  Tlascala ; others  of  us 
gave  as  our  opinions  that  if  we  allowed  such  treacheries  as  this  to  pass 
without  punishment,  that  wherever  we  went  we  might  expect  the  same, 
or  even  worse  ; and  that  as  we  were  then  quartered  in  that  large  city  with 
an  abundant  supply  of  provisions,  that  we  should  make  the  war  there,  as 
they  would  feel  it  more  severely  in  their  houses  than  in  the  country  ad- 
joining, and  that  we  should  immediately  summon  the  Tlascalans  to  enter 
the  city.  All  at  length  came  into  this  last  opinion,  and  it  was  arranged  in 
this  manner  : Cortes  had  already  told  them  that  we  were  to  depart  the  next 
morning,  and  we  pretended  to  be  packing  up  our  baggage,  which  was  little 
enough,  and  that  we  should  fall  upon  the  Indian  warriors  in  some  large 
patios  (court-yards)  surrounded  by  high  walls  which  were  in  our  quarters, 
which  they  well  deserved,  and  that  we  should  dissemble  with  the  am- 
bassadors of  Montezuma  and  tell  them  that  those  wicked  Cholulans  had 
endeavored  to  make  us  believe  that  the  treachery  which  they  were  about 
to  practise  upon  us  was  by  the  orders  of  Montezuma  and  themselves,  his 
ambassadors,  which  we  did  not  believe,  and  we  besought  them  to  remain 
in  the  quarters  of  our  Captain,  and  that  they  should  hold  no  farther  con- 
versation with  the  people  of  that  city,  and  thus  give  us  no  reason  to  sus- 
pect that  they  were  acting  in  concert  with  the  Cholulans  in  their  treach- 
erous scheme,  and  that  they  might  go  with  us  as  guides. 

They  said  that  neither  they  nor  their  Lord  Montezuma  knew  anything 
of  the  matters  which  we  had  stated ; and,  although  they  objected  to  it,  we 
placed  guards  over  them,  so  that  they  should  not  go  out  without  permission. 
We  did  not  desire  that  Montezuma  should  know  that  we  were  aware  that  he 
had  himself  ordered  these  things.  That  night  we  were  all  armed  and  pre- 
pared at  all  points — the  horses  saddled  and  bridled,  with  large  guards  posted, 
and  the  officers  frequently  going  the  rounds.  This  was  always  our  custom, 
but  we  felt  certain  that  that  night  the  Cholulans,  as  well  as  the  Mexican 
squadrons,  would  be  upon  us.  An  old  Indian  woman,  who  was  the  wife  of  a 
cacique,  and  who  was  informed  of  the  plot  which  had  been  laid  for  our 
destruction,  came  privately  to  Donna  Marina,  and  seeing  that  she  was 
young,  handsome,  and  rich,  she  advised  her  to  go  with  her  to  her  house,  if 
she  would  escape  with  her  life,  for  that  most  certainly  we  would  all  be 
killed  that  night,  or  the  next  day,  for  so  it  had  been  ordered  and  arranged 
by  the  great  Montezuma  ; that  the  Mexicans  and  the  people  of  that  city  had 
united  for  that  purpose,  and  all  of  us  who  were  not  killed  were  to  be  tied 
and  taken  to  Mexico  ; and  that,  knowing  this,  and  from  the  commiseration 
which  she  felt  for  Donna  Marina,  she  had  come  to  give  her  the  informa- 
tion, and  that  she  must  get  whatever  she  had  and  go  with  her  to  her 
house,  and  that  she  would  then  marry  her  to  her  son,  the  brother  of  an- 


264 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


other  boy  which  the  old  woman  brought  with  her.  Donna  Marina,  who 
was  wary  and  sagacious  in  everything,  said  to  her — “ Oh,  my  mother  ! 
how  much  I thank  you  for  what  you  have  told  me.  I would  go  this 
moment,  but  I have  no  one  whom  I can  trust  to  carry  my  mantas  and  jewels 
of  gold,  which  are  of  great  value.  Wait  a short  time,  you  and  your  son, 
and  this  very  night  we  will  go ; for  you  see  that  these  Teules  are  now 
watching  us.” 

The  old  woman  believed  what  she  said,  and  remained  conversing  with 
her.  Donna  Marina  asked  in  what  manner  we  were  all  to  be  killed,  and 
how  and  when  the  plot  was  formed.  The  old  woman  told  her,  and  it  was 
neither  more  nor  less  than  what  the  two  Papas  had  said  before.  Donna 
Marina  asked  the  old  woman  how  it  was  that  she  had  obtained  her  infor- 
mation, as  the  plot  had  been  so  secretly  arranged.  The  old  woman  said 
that  her  husband,  who  was  one  of  the  captains  in  the  city,  had  told  her, 
and  that  he  was  now  engaged  in  rallying  his  men  to  join  the  Mexicans  in 
the  ravines  outside  the  city ; and  that  she  believed  that  they  were  then 
assembled,  awaiting  our  approach.  She  said  that  she  had  been  informed 
of  the  plot  three  days  before,  when  they  had  sent  to  her  husband  a gilded 
drum,  and  to  the  commanders  of  three  other  companies  rich  mantas  and 
jewels  of  gold,  to  induce  them  to  deliver  us  all  to  their  lord,  the  great 
Montezuma. 

When  Donna  Marina  heard  all  this,  she  dissembled  with  the  old  woman 
and  said,  “ Oh,  how  I am  rejoiced  to  hear  that  your  son,  to  whom  I am  to  be 
married,  is  one  of  the  head  men  of  the  city.  We  have  been  talking  to- 
gether a long  time  and  I do  not  wish  that  they  should  suspect  us,  and 
therefore,  mother,  wait  here  a little  while  and  I will  begin  to  bring  my 
baggage,  for  I cannot  bring  it  all  at  once,  and  you  and  your  son  and  my 
brother  can  guard  it,  and  then  we  will  go.”  The  old  woman  believed  all 
this,  and  she  and  her  son  seated  themselves  quietly.  Donna  Marina  went 
in  all  haste  to  Cortes,  and  told  him  all  that  had  passed  between  herself  and 
the  old  Indian  woman.  Cortes  immediately  ordered  that  she  should  be 
brought  to  him,  and  interrogated  her  as  to  all  the  particulars  of  the  plot, 
when  she  told  him  the  same  story,  neither  more  nor  less  than  what  the 
Papas  had  told  him.  He  ordered  a guard  to  be  placed  over  her.  When 
morning  came  it  was  a sight  worth  seeing,  the  haste  and  bustle  of  the 
Caciques  and  Papas  in  collecting  their  warriors,  their  smiles  and  happi- 
ness, as  if  they  already  had  us  in  the  net  and  snare,  which  they  had  pre- 
pared for  us.  They  brought  more  Indian  warriors  than  we  had  asked  for, 
so  many  that  the  large  patios  in  our  quarters  could  not  contain  them  all, 
very  large  as  they  were ; and  they  have  been  preserved  to  this  day  in 


APPENDIX. 


265 


memory  of  the  past.  Although  it  was  very  early  in  the  morning  when  these 
Cholulan  warriors  arrived  at  our  quarters,  we  Were  prepared  at  all  points 
for  the  work  we  had  to  do.  The  soldiers  who  were  armed  with  sword  and 
shield,  were  placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  patio,  so  that  not  a single  In- 
dian, who  was  armed,  should  be  allowed  to  escape.  Our  Captain  was 
mounted  on  his  horse,  as  were  several  of  our  soldiers  who  acted  as  his 
guard.  When  he  saw  that  the  Caciques  and  Papas  had  come  so  early  in 
the  morning  with  their  warriors,  he  said,  ec  how  impatient  these  traitors 
are  to  see  us  in  the  ravines  and  to  feed  upon  our  flesh,  but  our  Lord  will 
order  things  better  !”  He  then  inquired  for  the  two  Papas  who  had  dis- 
closed the  plot,  and  they  told  him  they  were  at  the  door  of  the  patio  with 
some  other  Caciques,  who  desired  to  enter.  He  then  ordered  Aguilar,  our 
interpreter,  to  tell  them  to  return  to  their  houses  as  he  had  no  use  for  them 
at  that  time.  This  he  did  because  they  had  done  a good  work  for  us,  and 
he  did  not  desire  that  they  should  suffer  for  it,  but  that  their  lives  might 
be  saved.  Cortes  was  mounted  on  his  horse  and  Donna  Marina  by  his  side. 
He  then  addressed  the  Caciques  and  Papas,  asked  them  why  it  was  that 
having  given  them  no  offence,  they  had  meditated  to  have  killed  us  all  the 
night  before  ? What  had  we  done  or  said  to  them  to  induce  them  to  com- 
mit this  treachery  ? We  had  only  admonished  them  as  we  had  done  the 
people  of  all  the  towns  through  which  we  had  passed,  not  to  be  wicked, 
nor  sacrifice  men,  nor  adore  idols,  nor  eat  human  flesh,  nor  commit  unna- 
tural crimes,  but  to  live  virtuously,  and  had  explained  to  them  the  things 
touching  our  holy  faith ; and  all  this  without,  in  anything,  having  oppressed 
them.  He  asked  them  why  they  had  prepared  so  many  scourges  and  col- 
lars and  cords,  which  were  deposited  in  a house  near  one  of  their  idol 
temples ; and  why,  within  the  last  three  days,  they  had  constructed  so 
many  defences  upon  their  azoteas,  and  dug  so  many  pits  and  ditches  in  the 
streets ; and  why  they  had  sent  their  women  and  children  and  property, 
out  of  the  city;  what  good  had  they  promised  themselves  from  this 
treachery,  all  of  which  they  had  not  been  able  to  conceal  from  him. 
That  they  had  not  even  supplied  him  with  provisions,  but  had  brought 
him  water  and  wood  in  mockery,  saying  that  they  had  no  maizq  ; that  he 
very  well  knew  that  they  had  their  warriors  concealed  in  some  ravines  near 
by,  expecting  that  we  would  pass  that  way  on  our  route  to  Mexico,  and 
that  they  were  there  awaiting  us  to  execute  the  treachery  which  they  had 
planned  ; that  in  recompense  for  our  having  come  amongst  them  as  brothers, 
and  told  them  what  our  Lord  God  and  our  king  had  commanded  us,  that 
they  desired  to  kill  us  and  eat  our  flesh,  and  had  already  prepared  their 
pots  and  salt,  pepper  and  tomatoes  ; that  if  they  had  desired  this,  that  it 
would  have  been  better  to  have  made  war  upon  us  like  good  and  brave 

13 


266 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


warriors  in  the  field,  as  their  neighbors  the  Tlascalans  had  done ; that  he 
knew  very  well  all  that  had  been  done  in  their  city,  and  that  they  had  even 
promised  to  their  idol,  the  God  of  war,  that  twenty  of  us  should  be  sacri- 
ficed to  him  ; and  that  three  nights  before  that  time  they  had  sacrificed 
seven  Indians  to  this  idol,  that  he  might  give  them  the  victory  over  us ; 
that  he  was  a wicked  and  false  idol,  and  had  no  power  against  us ; and  that 
all  their  wickedness  and  treacheries  would  in  the  end  fall  upon  their  own 
heads.  All  this  he  said  to  Donna  Marina,  who  made  them  understand  it 
perfectly.  When  they  heard  all  this  the  Caciques  and  Papas  and  captains 
said,  that  it  was  all  true,  but  that  the  fault  was  not  theirs,  for  they  had 
been  ordered  to  do  what  they  had  done  by  the  ambassadors  of  Montezuma, 
who  had  been  so  commanded  by  their  master.  Cortes  told  them  the  royal 
laws  required  that  such  treasons  should  be  punished,  and  that  for  this, 
their  crime,  they  had  to  die,  and  he  immediately  ordered  a musket  to  be 
fired,  which  was  the  signal  which  we  had  agreed  upon  for  that  purpose, 
and  we  gave  them  a lesson  which  they  will  remember  for  ever,  for  we 
killed  many  of  them,  others  were  burnt  alive,  to  show  them  that  their  false 
idols  could  do  nothing  for  them. 

It  was  not  two  hours  before  our  Tlascalan  friends  arrived  whom  we  had 
left  in  the  fields  outside  of  the  city ; they  fought  very  bravely  in  the  streets 
where  others  of  the  Cholulans  attempted  to  prevent  their  entrance,  whom 
they  very  soon  defeated,  and  went  through  the  city  robbing  and  making  pri- 
soners of  all  whom  they  met.  The  next  day  other  companies  of  the  Tlas- 
calans arrived,  and  did  them  much  injury,  for  they  were  very  hostile  to  the 
Cholulans.  When  Cortes  and  the  rest  of  the  captains  and  soldiers  saw 
this,  out  of  commiseration  for  them  he  restrained  the  Tlascalans  from 
committing  any  other  outrages  upon  them  ; Cortes  ordered  Pedro  Alvarado 
and  Christoval  de  Oli  to  bring  all  the  Tlascalans  to  him — and  they  made 
no  delay  in  coming — when  he  ordered  the  captains  to  get  all  their  men 
together  and  to  return  to  their  quarters  outside  of  the  city  and  to  remain 
there,  which  they  did,  leaving  none  with  us  but  our  friends  of  Cempoal. 
At  this  moment  there  came  to  us  certain  Caciques  and  Papas  of  Cholula, 
who  belonged  to  different  departments  of  the  city,  and  who  said  that  they 
had  not  been  concerned  in  the  plot — and  it  may  have  been  so,  as  it  was  a 
very  large  city — and  they  besought  Cortes  that  he  would  pardon  them  as 
the  traitors  had  paid  for  their  crime  with  their  lives ; then  came  the  two 
Papas  our  friends,  who  had  discovered  the  secret  to  us,  and  the  old  woman 
the  wife  of  the  captain,  and  who  desired  to  be  the  step-mother  of  Donna 
Marina  (which  I have  before  related),  and  besought  Cortes  that  he  would 
pardon  them.  Cortes  seemed  very  much  enraged,  and  ordered  that  the 
ambassadors  of  Montezuma  should  be  sent  for,  he  who  had  been  detained 


APPENDIX. 


267 


in  our  quarters,  and  said  that  although  the  whole  city  deserved  to  be  des- 
troyed, and  that  all  of  them  should  forfeit  their  lives,  yet  out  of  respect  for 
their  lord,  Montezuma,  whose  vassals  they  were,  he  pardoned  them,  but 
that  for  the  future  their  conduct  must  be  good,  and  that  if  another  thing 
like  the  past  happened  they  should  all  die  for  it.  He  then  sent  for  the 
Tlascalans,  and  ordered  them  to  release  all  their  prisoners,  for  that  the 
Cholulans  had  already  been  sufficiently  punished.  The  Tlascalans  were 
very  unwilling  to  do  so,  for  they  said  that  the  Cholulans  deserved  much 
more  at  their  hands  for  the  many  injuries  and  treacheries  which  they  had 
committed  against  them,  but  they  obeyed  the  order.  The  Tlascalans 
were  now  rich  in  the  booty  which  they  had  acquired  in  gold  and  mantas, 
cotton,  salt,  and  slaves. 

Besides  this,  Cortes  brought  about  a peace  and  friendship  between  the 
Tlascalans  and  Cholulans,  which,  as  I have  heard,  has  never  since  been 
broken.  He  also  commanded  the  Caciques  and  Papas  that  their  people 
should  return  to  their  city,  and  again  open  their  shops  and  markets,  and 
that  they  need  have  no  fears,  as  he  then  had  no  resentments  against  them. 
They  replied,  that  in  five  days  their  people  should  return  to  their  houses. 
They  were  at  that  time  in  great  terror,  and  said  that  they  were  afraid  that 
Cortes  would  nominate  another  Cacique,  as  he  who  had  formerly  been  Ca- 
cique was  engaged  in  the  treacherous  plot,  and  was  killed  in  the  patio. 
He  asked  them  to  whom  the  office  descended,  and  they  answered,  to  one 
of  the  brothers  of  the  former  Cacique  ; and  he  immediately  appointed  him 
until  he  should  order  otherwise. 

Besides  this,  after  they  had  returned  to  the  city  and  felt  secure,  he  sum- 
moned the  Caciques,  Papas,  captains,  and  head  men,  and  explained  to  them 
the  things  touching  our  holy  faith,  and  told  them  that  they  must  cease  to 
worship  idols  ; that  they  must  no  more  sacrifice  human  beings,  nor  eat  their 
flesh,  nor  rob  one  another,  nor  commit  any  other  of  the  wickednesses  which 
they  were  accustomed  to  do ; and  that  they  should  consider  that  their  idols 
had  deceived  them ; that  they  were  wicked  and  false,  and  did  not  speak  the 
truth  ; and  to  remember  the  lies  which  they  had  told  them  only  five  days 
before,  when  they  had  sacrificed  to  them  five  human  victims,  and  they  had 
promised  them  the  victory  over  us  ; and  that  everything  which  they  said, 
either  to  their  Papas  or  to  themselves,  was  wicked  and  false  ; and  he  be- 
sought them  to  pull  them  down  and  break  them  to  pieces,  and  that  if  they 
did  not  wish  to  do  it,  that  we  would ; and  that  they  must  make  something 
like  an  altar,  and  we  would  place  a cross  upon  it.  They  made  the  place 
for  the  cross,  and  said  that  they  would  remove  their  idols,  but  delayed  doing 
it,  although  frequently  ordered  to  do  so.  The  Father  Olmedo,  of  the 
Order  of  Mercy,  said  that  it  was  of  little  consequence  to  pull  down  their  idols 


268 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


until  they  were  better  instructed,  and  until  we  saw  what  would  be  the 
result  of  our  entry  into  Mexico,  and  that  time  would  tell  us  what  we 
ought  to  do ; but  that  for  the  present,  the  admonitions  which  he  had  given 
them,  and  putting  up  the  cross,  were  sufficient. 

I will  now  state  that  this  city  is  situated  in  a plain,  and  is  surrounded  by 
other  large  populations — Tepeaca,  Tlascala,  Chaleo,  Tecamachalco,  and 
Guaxacingo,  and  so  many  other  large  villages  that  I shall  not  attempt  to 
name  them  here. 

The  country  produces  maize,  red  pepper,  and  very  many  other  things. 
There  are  a great  many  fields  of  corn  ; it  is  this  of  which  they  make  their 
wine.  They  also  make  there  very  handsome  crockery  ware,  red,  brown 
and  white,  and  variously  painted.  They  supply  Mexico  with  it,  as  well 
as  all  the  neighboring  provinces,  like  the  cities  of  Talavera  and  Palencia 
in  Castile.  They  have  in  that  city  more  than  a hundred  towers,  which 
are  cues  or  idol  temples, — the  largest  of  these  is  higher  than  that  in  Mexi- 
co ; although  that  in  Mexico  is  very  lofty  and  sumptuous.  Each  of  these 
idol  temples  has  a spacious  court.  We  were  informed  that  they  have  a 
very  large  idol  there,  the  name  of  which  I do  not  now  remember,  but  it  is 
held  by  them  in  great  reverence,  and  they  come  from  many  and  distant 
places  to  sacrifice  to  it  and  give  to  it  a portion  of  what  they  possess.  I re- 
member that  when  we  first  entered  that  city  and  saw  these  lofty  white 
towers  it  looked  like  Valladolid  itself. 

Let  us  say  no  more  of  this  city  nor  what  happened  in  it,  and  we  will 
speak  of  the  squadrons  which  the  great  Montezuma  had  sent,  and  which 
were  stationed  in  the  ravines  near  the  city  of  Cholula,  where  they  had 
made  their  breastworks  and  dug  ditches  to  prevent  the  passage  of  our 
horses,  as  I have  before  stated.  When  they  learned  what  had  happened 
they  returned  to  Mexico  with  all  speed,  and  gave  Montezuma  an  account 
of  everything  that  had  taken  place.  But  rapidly  as  they  went,  two  of  the 
ambassadors  who  had  been  with  us,  arrived  in  Mexico  before  them.  We 
were  informed  that  when  Montezuma  received  the  information  he  felt  very 
great  rage  and  grief,  and  immediately  sacrificed  certain  Indians  to  his  idol 
Huichilobos,  which  was  his  God  of  war,  to  the  end  that  he  would  inform 
him  what  was  to  be  the  result  of  our  going  to  Mexico,  and  whether  he 
should  allow  us  to  enter  into  his  city.  We  learned  also  that  he  was  shut 
up  in  his  devotions  and  sacrifices  for  two  whole  days,  together  with  ten  of 
the  principal  Papas,  and  that  the  advice  which  he  received  from  his  idols 
was,  to  send  messengers  to  us  to  exculpate  himself  for  the  affair  at  Cholula, 
and  that  with  all  the  signs  of  peace  he  should  allow  us  to  enter  into  the 
city  of  Mexico,  and  that  whilst  there  by  withholding  food  or  water,  or 
raising  any  of  the  bridges,  he  might  destroy  us  ; and  that  in  a single  day  if 


APPENDIX. 


269 


he  attacked  us,  not  one  of  us  would  be  left  alive,  and  that  he  might  then 
offer  his  sacrifices  not  only  to  Huichilobos,  who  gave  this  answer,  but  also 
to  Tezcatepuca,  the  God  of  hell,  and  fill  themselves  with  our  legs,  thighs 
and  arms,  and  give  the  other  parts  of  our  bodies  to  the  snakes  and  tigers 
which  were  kept  in  wooden  cages,  which  I will  hereafter  relate  in  the  pro- 
per time  and  place. 

We  will  say  no  more  now  of  Montezuma,  and  the  mortification  which 
he  felt.  This  castigation  of  Cholula  was  soon  known  in  all  the  provinces 
of  New  Spain,  and  if  before  we  had  gained  the  reputation  of  being  power- 
ful and  brave  in  the  wars  of  Potonchan,  Tobasco,  Cinga  pacinga,  and 
Tlascala,  and  they  had  called  us  Teules,  which  is  the  name  by  which  they 
call  their  gods  or  evil  beings,  from  this  time  forward  they  regarded  us  as 
prophets.  They  said  that  no  evil  design  could  in  any  way  be  concealed 
from  us,  and  for  this  reason  they  all  exhibited  friendship  towards  us. 

I suppose  that  the  curious  reader  is  already  weary  of  this  narrative  of 
Cholula  and  wishes  that  I had  finished  it,  but  I cannot  omit  to  notice  here 
the  wooden  cages  we  found  there,  which  were  full  of  Indian  men  and 
boys  which  they  were  fattening  to  sacrifice  to  their  idols,  and  to  eat  their 
flesh.  We  broke  the  cages  and  Cortes  ordered  the  Indians  who  were 
imprisoned  in  them  to  return  to  the  countries  of  which  they  were  natives, 
and  ordered  the  captains  and  Papas  that  no  such  thing  should  be  repeated, 
and  that  they  must  not  again  eat  human  flesh,  and  they  promised  that  they 
would  not ; but  what  availed  these  promises  when  they  were  not  complied 
with  ? 

I will  now  pass  on,  and  remark  that  these  are  the  cruelties  which  the 
Bishop  of  Chiapa,  Don  Bartolemi  de  Las  Casas,  describes  at  so  much 
length,  and  affirms  that  without  any  cause  whatever,  but  only  for  our  pas- 
time and  because  we  had  a fancy  to  it,  we  inflicted  this  punishment ; and  I 
would  remark  that  some  good  religious  Franciscans  who  were  the  first 
friars  his  majesty  sent  to  New  Spain  after  the  conquest,  went  to  Cholula 
to  examine  and  inquire  how  and  in  what  manner  the  thing  took  place,  and 
the  cause  of  the  punishment  inflicted.  Their  inquiries  were  made  of  the 
Papas  themselves  and  the  old  men  of  the  city,  and  after  the  fullest  examin- 
ation they  found  the  facts  to  be  neither  more  nor  less  than  those  stated 
in  this  my  relation  of  them  ; and  if  this  chastisement  had  not  been  inflicted 
our  lives  would  have  been  in  the  greatest  danger  from  the  numerous 
squadrons  of  Mexican  and  Cholulan  warriors  which  were  there  assembled, 
and  if  it  had  been  our  misfortune  to  have  been  killed  there,  this  New 
Spain  would  not  have  been  so  soon  conquered, — and  even  if  another  expe- 
dition had  been  ventured  upon,  it  would  have  been  encountered  with 
great  toils  and  difficulties,  for  the  Mexicans  would  have  defended  all  the 


270 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


entrances  into  their  country  and  they  might  have  been  left  for  ever  in  their 
idolatries.  I have  heard  a Franciscan  friar  of  most  virtuous  life  say, 
that  if  this  chastisement  could  have  been  avoided,  and  cause  had  not  been 
given  for  it,  it  would  have  been  better  ; but,  that  it  was  well  that  it  was 
done,  that  the  Indians  in  all  the  provinces  of  New  Spain  might  see  and 
know  that  these  idols  and  all  others  are  wicked  and  lying  things,  and  that 
seeing  that  everything  which  they  promised  had  turned  out  the  reverse 
they  lost  the  devotion  with  which  they  had  before  regarded  them,  and  from 
that  time  forward  they  never  again  offered  sacrifices  to  them  or  came  on 
pilgrimages  to  them  from  other  parts  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to  do, 
cared  nothing  for  them,  took  them  down  from  the  high  temple  where  they 
were  kept,  and  concealed  or  broke  them  to  pieces  and  they  were  never 
seen  afterwards. 

I have  translated  these  chapters,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the 
reader  “ a taste  of  the  quality”  of  the  veracious  old  chronicler,  and  of  the 
epic  character  of  his  whole  narrative, — but  still  more  to  vindicate  my 
favorite  hero  Cortes  against  the  imputation  of  unnecessary  cruelty ; I 
know  no  hero,  ancient  or  modern,  for  whom  I have  more  admiration  than 
for  Cortes, — and  with  some  knowledge  of  the  stirring  scenes  in  which 
he  was  the  principal  actor,  which  an  acquaintance  with  the  language  in 
which  an  account  of  them  was  originally  written  has  enabled  me  to 
appreciate  more  justly,  I am  free  to  say  that  considering  all  the  circum- 
stances with  which  he  was  surrounded,  that  the  charge  of  cruelty  so 
generally  made  against  him  is  in  my  judgment  without  just  foundation. 
I have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  punishment  which  he  inflicted 
upon  the  Cholulans,  more  than  anything  else,  insured  his  success ; he 
was  about  to  enter  the  city  of  Mexico  with  less  than  five  hundred  men, 
where  Montezuma  was  surrounded  by  countless  warriors, — “ When,”  as 
one  of  the  Mexicans  afterwards  said,  “ that  they  had  made  the  calcula- 
tion, and  that  they  could  lose  twenty  thousand  of  their  men  for  every 
Spaniard  that  was  killed,  and  in  the  end  be  victorious.”  The  slaughter  of 
the  Cholulans  struck  terror  not  only  into  the  heart  of  Montezuma,  but  of  all 
his  vassals.  They  had  before  regarded  the  Spaniards  as  invincible  in 
battle  ; the  discovery  of  this  plot  by  Cortes,  notwithstanding  the  secresy 
with  which  it  had  been  kept,  added  to  this  feeling  a superstitious  awe 
of  the  Spaniards,  to  whom  they  attributed  something  of  omniscience 
also.  It  was  absolutely  necessary,  too,  that  Cortes  should  guard  against 
the  repetition  of  such  treachery,  to  which  his  situation  exposed  him ; it 


APPENDIX. 


271 


may  well  be  doubted  whether  he  did  not  owe  the  final  success  which 
crowned  his  enterprise  to  this  wise  and  just  act  of  apparent  severity. 
If  the  Spaniards  had  not  succeeded,  more  human  victims  would  have 
been  sacrificed  to  the  Mexican  idols  in  one  year  than  perished  at  Cho- 
lula. 

The  only  other  act  of  cruelty  which  has  been  charged  upon  him  was 
the  torture  and  subsequent  execution  of  Guatemozin  ; Cortes  remon- 
strated against  and  resisted  the  former  until  there  was  danger  of  a revolt 
and  mutiny  in  the  Spanish  army,  the  consequences  of  which  would  have 
been  most  disastrous, — he  was  at  last  forced  to  yield  to  the  clamors  of 
his  soldiers,  but  very  soon  interposed  at  great  peril  to  himself,  and  res- 
cued Guatemozin.  He  was  executed  on  the  march  to  Honduras  when 
Cortes  went  there  to  suppress  the  revolt  of  Christoval  de  Olid ; Cortes 
was  afraid  to  leave  Guatemozin  in  Mexico,  and  took  him  and  many 
others  of  the  most  refractory  amongst  the  Mexicans  along  with  him. 

Cortes  had  satisfactory  evidence,  that  on  the  march,  Guatemozin  had 
formed  a plan  which  was  ripe  for  execution,  for  the  Mexicans  to  rise 
upon  and  massacre  the  Spaniards ; he  owed  it  then  to  his  own  as  well  as 
the  safety  of  his  companions,  that  the  leading  conspirators  should  be 
punished.  It  is  absurd  to  impute  to  Cortes  any  other  motive  for  the  act ; 
it  could  not  have  been  to  extort  confessions  as  to  concealed  treasure,  for 
he  was  then  in  a wilderness  several  hundred  miles  from  Mexico,  and  if 
such  had  been  the  motive  it  would  have  been  perpetrated  in  Mexico.  It 
could  not  have  been  from  any  resentment  which  he  had  felt  for  the 
heroic  defence  which  Guatemozin  had  made  of  his  country  and  people ; 
Cortes  was  at  all  points  a hero  himself,  and  could  have  no  other  feeling 
on  this  occasion  than  that  of  sympathy  and  admiration,  which  he  not 
only  expressed  but  proved  that  he  entertained  by  his  generous  kind- 
ness to  the  Mexican  prince,  and  anxious  solicitude  to  spare  his  life 
and  those  of  his  people  during  the  last  days  of  that  memorable  siege  ; 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  therefore,  that  the  execution  was  ordered  from  a 
deep  conviction  that  the  safety  of  the  Spaniards  demanded  it.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  in  this  opinion  he  may  have  been  mistaken,  but  if  he  really 
thought  so,  the  act  was  justifiable,  and  at  this  distance  of  time  it  is 
assuming  a great  deal  to  say  that  Cortes  did  not  judge  rightly  with  no 
other  lights  than  we  have,  and  the  distorted  facts  which  were  collected 
by  his  enemies,  and  the  honorable  sympathies  which  all  must  feel  for  that 
greatest  of  all  Indian  heroes,  a being  of  romance  rather  than  history,  Gua- 


272 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


temozin.  And,  besides,  Cortes,  in  addition  to  all  his  other  great  qualities,  was 
a Christian,  and  a most  sincere  and  devout  one.  One  cannot  read  the  his- 
tory of  the  conq  uest,  without  being  impressed  with  the  conviction  that,  if 
not  the  primary  object,  his  predominant  idea  was  that  he  was  spread- 
ing “ nuestra  santa  fe” — our  holy  faith.  In  this  particular  he  stands  at 
an  immeasurable  height  above  all  other  conquerors ; he  would  have 
suffered  death  before  he  would  have  said  as  did  Bonaparte  in  Egypt, 
“ There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mahomet  is  his  prophet.”  On  the  con- 
trary, wherever  he  passed  he  erected  a cross,  and  tore  down  the  Mexican 
idols,  often  at  imminent  peril  to  himself  and  his  army. 

If  the  reader  has  been  sufficiently  interested  in  the  character  of  Donna 
Marina  to  desire  to  know  more  of  her  history,  he  will  find  it  in  the 
following  short  chapter  from  the  history  of  the  conquest  of  New  Spain, 
by  Bernal  Diaz  : — 

How  Donna  Marina  was  a Caciquess,  and  the  daughter  of  a great  lord,  and  was  a Princess 
of  many  villages  and  vassals. 

Before  I say  anything  more  of  the  great  Montezuma  and  his  city  of 
Mexico  and  the  Mexicans,  I desire  to  say  that  Donna  Marina,  in  her  child- 
hood, was  a princess  of  many  villages  and  vassals.  It  was  in  this  way : — 
Her  father  and  mother  were  the  Cacique  and  Cacica  of  a village  called 
Painala,  and  had  other  villages  subject  to  them  about  eight  leagues  from  the 
town  of  Guaxacualco.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  an  infant,  and  her 
mother  married  another  young  cacique,  by  whom  she  had  one  son.  And 
as  they  loved  this  son  very  much,  they  determined  that  he  should  inherit 
their  title  and  estate  ; and  that  there  might  be  no  difficulty  in  the  way,  they 
delivered  the  child,  Donna  Marina,  in  the  night  time,  to  some  Indians  of 
Xicalango,  and  spread  the  report  that  she  had  died.  It  happened  at  the 
same  time  that  the  child  of  one  of  their  Indian  slaves  died,  and  they  gave 
out  that  it  was  the  heiress  Donna  Marina.  The  Indians  of  Xecalango  gave 
her  to  the  Tobascans,  and  the  Tobascans  gave  her  to  Cortes.  I knew  her 
mother  and  her  half  brother  after  he  was  grown,  when  they  jointly  had 
command  of  their  village,  the  last  husband  of  the  old  woman  then  being 
dead.  After  they  became  Christians  they  were  baptized,  the  mother  by  the 
name  of  Martha,  and  the  son  by  that  of  Lazarus. 

All  this  I know  perfectly  well,  for  in  the  year  fifteen  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-three, after  the  conquest  of  Mexico  and  the  other  provinces,  when 
Christoval  de  Olid  revolted,  with  the  army  under  his  command,  in  Higueras, 
and  Cortes  went  there,  we  passed  by  Guaxacualco.  Nearly  all  the  inhabit- 


APPENDIX. 


273 


ants  of  that  town  went  with  us,  as  I will  relate  in  the  proper  time  and 
place. 

As  Donna  Marina,  in  all  the  wars  of  New  Spain,  Tlascala,  and  Mexico,, 
had  shown  herself  so  excellent  a woman  and  so  good  an  interpreter,  Cor- 
tes always  took  her  with  him.  It  was  on  that  expedition  that  he  married 
her  to  a Hidalgo,  whose  name  was  Juan  Xamarillo,  in  the  village  of  Ori- 
zaba, before  certain  witnesses,  one  of  whom  was  Aranda,  an  inhabitant  of 
Tobasco ; and  he  told  me  about  the  marriage,  which  was  not  all  as  Gomara 
relates  it.  Donna  Marina  had  great  influence  and  authority  with  all  the 
Indians  of  New  Spain.  Whilst  Cortes  was  at  Guaxacualco  he  sent  to  sum- 
mon all  the  caciques  of  that  province,  to  speak  to  them,  and  explain  our 
holy  doctrines,  and  to  urge  them  to  conduct  themselves  properly ; and  the 
mother  of  Donna  Marina,  and  her  half  brother  Lazarus,  came  with  the  other 
caciques.  Donna  Marina  had  long  before  this  told  me  that  she  was  a native 
of  that  province,  and  was  a princess  of  many  vassals — and  Cortes  and 
Aguilar,  the  interpreter,  also  knew  it  very  well . The  mother  and  daugh- 
ter thus  met,  and  knew  each  other ; and  they  knew  very  well  that  she  was. 
her  daughter,  for  she  resembled  her  very  much. 

The  mother  and  son  were  greatly  alarmed,  supposing  that  Cortes  had 
sent  for  them  to  kill  them,  and  they  wept.  When  Donna  Marina  saw  them 
weeping,  she  consoled  them,  and  told  them  to  have  no  fear,  for  that  when 
they  had  delivered  her  to  the  Indians  of  Xicalango  they  knew  no  better, 
and  that  she  pardoned  them.  She  gave  them  some  clothes,  and  many  jewels 
of  gold,  and  told  them  to  return  to  their  village.  She  said  that  God  had 
shown  her  great  mercy  in  making  her  a Christian,  and  no  longer  a wor- 
shipper of  idols,  and  in  giving  her  a son  by  her  lord  and  master,  Cortes, 
and  marrying  her  to  such  a gentleman  as  Juan  Xamarillo  ; and  that  if  they 
would  make  her  princess  of  all  the  provinces  in  New  Spain,  she  would  not 
accept  it ; and  that  she  took  more  pleasure  in  serving  Cortes  and  her  hus- 
band than  in  everything  in  the  world  besides. 

All  this  I heard  myself,  and  moreover,  I swear  to  it.  It  seems  to  me 
that  it  very  much  resembles  the  case  of  the  brothers  of  Joseph,  when  they 
went  into  Egypt  for  corn.  But  now  let  us  return  to  our  subject.  Donna 
Marina  understood  the  language  of  Tobasco  and  of  Guaxacualco,  which  is 
also  the  language  of  Mexico;  and  Geronimo  de  Aguilar  understood  the 
language  of  Tobasco  and  Yucatan,  which  is  the  same;  and  Aguilar  so  un- 
derstanding, Donna  Marina  would  explain  it  to  Cortes  in  the  Castilian, 
and  this  was  a great  beginning  in  the  conquest.  And  thus  things  went  on 
most  prosperously,  praised  be  God. — Without  Donna  Marina  we  could  not 
have  understood  the  language  of  Mexico. 


13* 


274 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


II. 

PASSAGE  RELATING  TO  GENERAL  VICTORIA. 

(From  Ward’s  Mexico.) 

“ Two  thousand  European  troops  landed  with  Myares,  and  two  thousand 
more  with  Apodoaca,  in  1816  ; and  notwithstanding  the  desperate  efforts  of 
Victoria’s  men,  their  courage  was  of  no  avail  against  the  superior  disci- 
pline and  arms  of  their  adversaries.  In  the  course  of  the  year  1816,  most 
• of  his  old  soldiers  fell ; those  by  whom  he  replaced  them  had  neither  the 
^enthusiasm  nor  the  same  attachment  to  his  person.  The  zeal  with  which 
rfhe  inhabitants  had  engaged  in  the  cause  of  the  revolution  was  worn  out, 
with  each  reverse  their  discouragement  increased,  and  as  the  disastrous  ac- 
counts from  the  interior  left  them  but  little  hope  of  bringing  the  contest  to 
a favorable  issue, — the  villages  refused  to  furnish  any  further  supplies. 
The  last  remnant  of  Victoria’s  followers  deserted  him,  and  he  was  left  ab- 
solutely alone, — still  his  courage  was  unsubdued,  and  his  determination  not 
to  yield  to  the  Spaniards  under  any  circumstances,  was  unshaken.  He  re- 
fused the  rank  and  rewards  which  Apodoaca  offered  him  as  the  price  of  his 
submission,  and  determined  to  seek  an  asylum  in  the  solitude  of  the  forests, 
rather  than  accept  the  pardon  on  the  faith  of  which  so  many  of  the  insur- 
gents yielded  up  their  arms.  This  extraordinary  project  was  carried  into 
execution  with  a decision  characteristic  of  the  man. 

Unaccompanied  by  a single  attendant,  and  provided  only  with  a little 
linen  and  a sword,  Victoria  threw  himself  into  the  mountainous  district 
which  occupies  so  large  a portion  of  the  province  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  disap- 
peared from  the  eyes  of  his  countrymen.  His  after  history  is  so  extremely 
wild  that  I should  hardly  venture  to  relate  it  here,  did  not  the  unanimous 
evidence  of  his  countrymen  confirm  the  story  of  his  sufferings  as  I have 
often  heard  it  from  his  own  mouth. 

During  the  first  few  weeks,  Victoria  was  supplied  with  provisions  by  the 
Indians,  who  all  knew  and  respected  his  name.  But  Apodoaca  was  so  ap- 
prehensive that  he  would  again  emerge  from  his  retreat,  that  a thousand 
men  were  ordered  out  in  small  detachments,  literally  to  hunt  him  down. 
Wherever  it  was  discovered  that  a village  had  either  received  him  or  re- 
lieved his  wants,  it  was  burnt  without  mercy;  and  this  rigor  struck  the 
Indians  with  such  terror  that  they  either  fled  at  the  sight  of  Victoria,  or 
were  the  first  to  announce  the  approach  of  a man  whose  presence  might 
prove  so  fatal  to  them.  For  upwards  of  six  months  he  was  followed  like 
a wild  beast  by  his  pursuers,  who  were  often  so  near  him  that  he  could 


APPENDIX. 


275 


hear  their  imprecations  against  himself  and  Apodoacatoo,  for  having  con- 
demned them  to  so  fruitless  a search.  On  one  occasion  he  escaped  a de- 
tachment, which  he  fell  in  with  unexpectedly,  by  swimming  a river  which 
they  were  unable  to  cross.  And  on  several  others  he  concealed  himself, 
when  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  royal  troops,  beneath  the  thick 
shrubs  and  creepers  with  which  the  woods  of  Vera  Cruz  abound. 

At  last  a story  was  made  up  to  satisfy  the  Viceroy  of  a body  having 
been  found  which  was  recognized  as  that  of  Victoria,  a minute  description 
was  given  of  his  person,  which  was  published  officially  in  the  Gazette 
of  Mexico,  and  the  troops  were  recalled  to  more  pressing  labors  in  the 
interior.  But  Victoria’s  trials  did  not  cease  with  the  pursuit ; harassed 
and  worn  out  with  the  fatigues  which  he  had  undergone,  his  clothes  torn  to 
pieces  and  his  body  lacerated  by  the  thorny  underwood  of  the  tropic,  he 
was  indeed  allowed  a little  tranquillity,  but  his  sufferings  were  still  almost 
incredible.  During  the  summer  he  managed  to  subsist  on  the  fruits  of 
which  nature  is  so  lavish  in  those  climates,  but  in  winter  he  was  attenu- 
ated by  hunger,  and  I have  heard  him  repeatedly  affirm  that  no  repast  had 
furnished  him  so  much  pleasure  since  as  he  experienced  after  being  long 
deprived  of  food,  in  gnawing  the  bones  of  horses  or  other  animals  which  he 
found  dead  in  the  woods.  By  degrees  he  accustomed  himself  to  such  absti- 
nence that  he  could  remain  four  and  even  five  days  without  taking  any- 
thing but  water  without  experiencing  any  serious  inconvenience,  but 
whenever  he  was  deprived  of  sustenance  for  a longer  period,  his  sufferings 
were  very  acute.*  For  thirty  months  he  never  tasted  bread,  nor  saw  a 
human  being,  nor  thought  at  times  ever  to  see  one  again  ; his  clothes  were 
reduced  to  a single  wrapper  of  cotton  which  he  found  one  day  when  driven 
by  hunger  he  approached  nearer  than  usual  to  some  Indian  huts,  and  this 
he  regarded  as  an  inestimable  treasure.  The  mode  in  which  Victoria,  cut 
off  as  he  was  from  the  world,  received  intelligence  of  the  revolution  of 
1821,  is  hardly  less  extraordinary  than  the  fact  of  his  having,  been  able 
to  support  existence  amidst  so  many  hardships  during  the  intervening 
period. 

When,  in  1818,  he  was  abandoned  by  all  the  rest  of  his  men,  he  was 
asked  by  two  Indians  who  lingered  with  him  to  the  last,  and  on  whose 
fidelity  he  knew  that  he  could  rely,  if  any  change  took  place,  where  he 
wished  them  to  look  for  him,  he  pointed  in  reply  to  a mountain  at  some 

* When  first  I knew  General  Victoria  in  Vera  Cruz,  in  1823,  he  was  unable  to  eat  above 
once  in  twenty-four  hours,  or  even  in  thirty-six  hours ; and  now,  though  he  conforms 
with  the  usual  hours  of  his  countrymen  with  regard  to  meals,  he  is  one  of  the  most 
abstemious  of  men. 


276 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


distance,  and  told  them  that  on  that  mountain  perhaps  they  might  find  his 
bones.  His  only  reason  for  selecting  it  was  its  being  particularly  rugged 
and  inaccessible,  and  surrounded  by  forests  of  vast  extent ; the  Indians 
treasured  up  this  hint,  and  as  soon  as  the  first  news  of  Iturbide’s  declaration 
reached  them  they  set  out  in  quest  of  Victoria.  They  separated  on  arriv- 
ing at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  spent  six  whole  weeks  in  examining 
the  woods  with  which  it  was  covered.  During  this  time  they  lived  prin- 
cipally by  the  chase,  but  finding  their  stock  of  maize  exhausted  and  all 
their  efforts  unavailing,  they  were  about  to  give  up  the  attempt  when  one 
of  them  discovered,  in  crossing  a ravine  which  Victoria  occasionally  fre- 
quented, the  print  of  a foot  which  he  immediately  recognized  to  be  that 
of  a European ; by  European,  I mean  of  European  descent,  and,  conse- 
quently accustomed  to  wear  shoes,  which  always  gives  a different  shape  to 
the  foot  very  perceptible  to  the  eye  of  a native.  The  Indian  waited  two 
days  upon  the  spot,  but  seeing  nothing  of  Victoria  and  finding  his  supply 
of  provisions  quite  at  an  end,  he  suspended  upon  a tree  near  the  place  four 
tortillas  (little  maize  cakes)  which  were  all  he  had  left,  and  set  out  for  his 
village  in  order  to  replenish  his  wallets,  hoping  that  if  Victoria  should  pass 
in  the  meantime  the  tortillas  would  attract  his  attention,  and  convince  him 
that  some  friend  was  in  search  of  him. 

His  little  plan  succeeded  completely ; Victoria,  on  crossing  the  ravine 
two  days  afterwards,  perceived  the  maize  cakes,  which  the  birds  had  for- 
tunately not  devoured ; he  had  then  been  four  whole  days  without  eating, 
and  upwards  of  two  years  without  eating  bread, — and  he  says  himself  that 
he  devoured  the  tortillas  before  the  cravings  of  his  appetite  would  allow 
him  to  reflect  upon  the  singularity  of  finding  them  on  this  solitary  spot, 
where  he  had  never  before  seen  any  trace  of  a human  being.  He  was  at 
a loss  to  determine  whether  they  had  been  left  there  by  friend  or  foe,  but 
feeling  sure  that  whoever  had  left  them  intended  to  return,  he  concealed 
himself  near  the  place  in  order  to  observe  his  motions  and  to  take  his  own 
measures  accordingly. 

Within  a short  time,  the  Indian  returned,  and  Victoria,  who  recognized 
him,  started  abruptly  from  his  concealment  to  welcome  his  trusty  follower ; 
but  the  man,  terrified  at  seeing  a phantom  covered  with  hair,  emaciated, 
and  clothed  only  with  an  old  cotton  wrapper,  advancing  upon  him  with  a 
sword  in  his  hand  from  amidst  the  bushes,  took  to  flight,  and  it  was  only 
on  hearing  himself  called  repeatedly  by  his  name  that  he  recovered  his 
composure  sufficiently  to  recognize  his  old  general.  He  was  affected 
beyond  measure  at  the  state  in  which  he  found  him,  and  conducted  him 
instantly  to  his  village,  where  Victoria  was  received  with  the  greatest 
enthusiasm. 


APPENDIX. 


277 


The  report  of  his  re- appearance  spread  like  lightning  through  the  pro- 
vince, where  it  was  not  credited  at  first,  so  firmly  was  every  one  convinced 
of  his  death  ; but  as  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Gaudaloupe  Victoria  was 
indeed  alive,  all  the  old  insurgents  rallied  round  him.  In  an  incredibly 
short  time,  he  induced  the  whole  province,  with  the  exception  of  the  forti- 
fied towns,  to  declare  for  independence,  and  then  set  out  to  join  Iturbide 
who  was  at  the  time  preparing  for  the  siege  of  Mexico.  He  was  received 
with  great  apparent  cordiality,  but  his  independent  spirit  was  too  little  in 
unison  with  Iturbide’s  projects  for  his  good  understanding  to  continue 
long.  Victoria  had  fought  for  a liberal  form  of  government,  and  not  merely 
for  a change  of  masters,  and  Iturbide,  unable  to  gain  him  over,  drove  him 
again  into  the  woods  during  his  short-lived  reign,  from  whence  he  only 
returned  to  give  the  signal  for  a general  rising  against  the  ambitious 
emperor. 


III. 

THE  EXECUTION  OF  MORELOS. 

[The  following  account  of  the  closing  scene  of  the  life  of  Morelos  is  taken  from  Ward’s 

Mexico.] 

Here  the  congress  was  very  nearly  surprised  by  Iturbide  (in  1815),  who, 
by  a rapid  and  masterly  march  across  the  mountains  of  Michoacan,  came 
upon  the  deputies  almost  before  they  were  apprised  of  his  approach.  It 
was  in  consequence  of  this  attempt,  and  with  the  view  of  placing  the  con- 
gress in  safety,  that  Morelos  determined  to  undertake  his  expedition  to 
Tehbacan,  in  the  province  of  La  Puebla,  where  Teran  had  already  assem- 
bled a considerable  force.  With  only  five  hundred  men  he  attempted  a 
march  of  sixty  leagues,  across  a part  of  the  country  occupied  by  several 
divisions  of  the  royalists.  He  hoped,  indeed,  to  be  joined  by  Teran  and 
Guerero,  but  his  couriers  were  intercepted,  and  neither  of  these  generals 
was  aware  of  his  situation. 

The  Spaniards,  conceiving  the  forces  of  Morelos  to  be  much  greater  than 
they  really  were,  did  not  venture  to  attack  him  until  he  had  penetrated  as 
far  as  Tesmaluca,  where  the  Indians,  though  they  received  him  with  great 
apparent  hospitality,  conveyed  intelligence  both  of  the  real  number  of  his 
followers  and  of  their  wretched  state  to  Don  Manuel  Concha,  the  nearest 
Spanish  commandant,  who  determined  to  attack  the  convoy  the  next  day. 
Morelos,  fancying  himself  in  security,  as  he  was  now  beyond  the  enemy’s 


278 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


line,  was  surprised  on  the  following  morning  (5th  Nov.,  1815),  by  two  par- 
ties of  royalists,  who  came  upon  him  unperceived  in  a mountainous  part  of 
the  road.  He  immediately  ordered  Don  Nicholas  Bravo  to  continue  his 
march  with  the  main  body,  as  an  escort  to  the  congress,  while  he  himself, 
with  a few  men,  endeavored  to  check  the  advance  of  the  Spaniards. 

“ My  life,”  he  said,  “ is  of  little  consequence,  provided  the  congress  be 
saved.  My  race  was  run  from  the  moment  I saw  an  independent  govern- 
ment established.”  His  orders  were  obeyed,  and  Morelos  remained  with 
about  fifty  men,  most  of  whom  abandoned  him  when  the  firing  became  hot. 
He  succeeded,  however,  in  gaining  time,  which  was  his  great  object.  Nor 
did  the  royalists  venture  to  advance  upon  him  until  only  one  man  was  left 
by  his  side.  He  was  then  taken  prisoner,  for  he  had  sought  death  in  vain 
during  the  action.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  his  late  reverses  had  in- 
spired him  with  a disgust  for  life,  and  that  he  wished  to  end  his  days  by  a 
proof  of  devotion  to  his  country  worthy  of  the  most  brilliant  part  of  his 
former  career. 

Morelos  was  treated  with  the  greatest  brutality  by  the  Spanish  soldiers 
into  whose  hands  he  first  fell.  They  stripped  him,  and  conducted  him, 
loaded  with  chains,  to  Tesmaluca.  But  Concha  (to  his  honor  be  it  said), 
on  his  prisoner  being  presented  to  him,  received  him  with  the  respect  due 
to  a fallen  enemy,  and  treated  him  with  unwonted  humanity  and  attention. 
He  was  transferred  with  as  little  delay  as  possible  to  the  capital,  and  the 
whole  population  of  Mexico  flocked  out  to  San  Augustin  de  las  Cuevas  to 
see  (and  some  to  insult)  the  man  whose  name  had  so  long  been  their  terror. 
But  Morelos,  both  on  his  way  to  prison  and  while  in  confinement,  is  said 
to  have  shown  a coolness  which  he  preserved  tp  the  last.  Indeed,  the  only 
thing  which  seemed  to  affect  him  at  all  was  his  degradation  ; a ceremony 
humiliating  in  itself,  but  rendered  doubly  so  in  his  case,  by  the  publicity 
which  was  given  to  it.  His  examination  was  conducted  by  the  Oidor  Ba- 
taller  (whose  insolent  assertions  of  the  natural  superiority  of  the  Spaniards 
to  the  Creoles,  is  said  first  to  have  roused  Morelos  into  action),  and  was  not 
of  long  duration.  On  the  22d  of  December,  1815,  Concha  was  charged  to 
remove  him  from  the  prison  of  the  inquisition  to  the  hospital  of  San  Chris- 
toval,  behind  which  the  sentence  pronounced  against  him  was  to  be  carried 
into  execution.  On  arriving  there  he  dined  in  company  with  Concha, 
whom  he  afterwards  embraced  and  thanked  for  his  kindness.  He  then  con- 
fessed himself,  and  walked  with  the  most  perfect  serenity  to  the  place  of 
execution.  The  short  prayer  which  he  pronounced  there  deserves  to  be 
recorded  for  its  affecting  simplicity  : “ Lord,  if  I have  done  well  thou 
knowest  it ; if  ill,  to  thine  infinite  mercy  I commend  my  soul.” 

After  this  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Judge,  he  fastened,  with  his  own  hands. 


APPENDIX. 


279 


a handkerchief  above  his  eyes,  gave  the  signal  to  the  soldiers  to  fire,  and 
met  death  with  as  much  composure  as  he  had  ever  shown  when  facing  it 
on  the  field  of  battle. 


IV. 


LETTER  OF  GENERAL  JACKSON  IN  REFERENCE  TO  A TEXIAN  PRISONER. 

Amongst  the  prisoners  taken  at  San  Antonio  by  General  Wall,  in  the 
fall  of  1842,  was  Mr.  John  Bradly.  I had  made  very  great  efforts  to  ob- 
tain his  release,  but  all  in  vain,  until  I received  a letter  from  General 
Jackson  in  his  behalf,  which  I sent  to  General  Santa  Anna,  and  imme- 
diately received  an  order  for  the  release  of  Mr.  Bradly.  This  I commu- 
nicated to  General  Jackson  in  a letter,  which  he  published  very  unex- 
pectedly to  me,  as  he  was  pleased  afterward  to  say,  in  writing  to  me,  be- 
cause “ it  was  a transaction  so  honorable  to  me.”  With  much  greater 
reason,  I take  the  liberty  of  publishing  his  letter  to  me  in  behalf  of  Mr. 
Bradly.  The  copy  is  verbatim,  literatim  et  punctuatim,  exact.  The 
original  is  written  in  a bold  and  vigorous  hand,  without  any  of  that 
tremulousness  which  is  common  in  the  writing  of  old  men. 

If  I am  not  mistaken,  a gentleman,  who  was  once  the  secretary  of 
General  Jackson,  has  published  a statement  that  the  original  papers  from 
his  pen,  were  marked  by  some  amusing  mistakes  of  grammar,  style  and 
orthography — all  of  which  he  corrected.  It  is  a little  curious,  if  this  be 
true,  that  this  gentleman  has  never  written  anything  before  or  since 
half  as  well.  I am  very  much  disposed  to  regard  one  who  would 
make  such  a statement,  even  if  true,  as  self-discredited, — there  can  be 
no  confidence  between  men  if  such  things  are  tolerated. 

Having  long  been  the  political  opponent  of  General  Jackson,  it  is  due 
to  myself  to  say,  that  I was  the  first  man  in  South  Carolina  who  advo- 
cated his  pretensions  to  the  Presidency  in  1823,  when  a distinguished 
citizen  of  our  own  was  one  of  the  candidates ; and  that  I commenced 
my  opposition  to  him  whilst  he  was  President,  and  at  the  period  of  his 
greatest  popularity,  when  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  have  benefited  me, — 
and  that  he  had  the  disposition  to  have  done  so,  I have  the  evidence. 

My  opinions  remain  unchanged  on  all  the  questions  of  public  policy, 
upon  which  I differed  with  him.  But  I have  at  all  times  entertained  a 


280 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO, 


proper  respect  for  his  many  high  qualities,  and  a grateful  admiration  for 
the  blaze  of  glory  in  which  he  closed  our  last  war. 

“ Hermitage,  July  12th,  1843. 

“ The  Honorable  TV.  Thomson , Minister  at  Mexico  : 

“ Sir — I beg  leave  to  call  your  attention  to  the  enclosed  letters  in  be- 
half of  Mr.  John  Bradly,  who  is  a prisoner  in  the  castle  of  Perote  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  Mexico,  having  been  captured  whilst  in  the  service  of 
Texas,  and  held  since  as  a prisoner. 

“ You  will  perceive  from  the  letters  of  ex-governor  David  Campbell,  of 
Va.,  and  the  Honorable  Mr.  Hopkins,  member  of  Congress,  that  Mr.  Brad- 
ly  was  one  of  our  most  respectable  citizens,  and  makes  an  appeal  to  our 
sympathies,  on  account  of  his  dependent  family,  almost  irresistible.  I 
would  write  directly  to  President  Santa  Anna  on  the  subject,  but  having 
done  so  on  two  occasions  before,  am  apprehensive  that  my  application  on 
personal  grounds  might  be  deemed  indelicate.  President  Santa  Anna  has 
informed  me  that  my  interposition  has  already  effected  the  discharge  of 
other  citizens  emigrating  to  Texas  from  the  United  States,  and  that  in  some 
instances,  those  discharged  have  again  taken  up  arms  against  Mexico.  I 
think  it  therefore,  prudent  to  abstain  from  any  further  personal  appeal,  lest 
the  kind  feelings  heretofore  manifested  by  president  Santa  Anna  might  be 
changed,  and  given  a direction  which  would  prejudice  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Bradly,  and  others  situated  like  him,  to  obtain  their  freedom. 

“ Should  you,  however,  be  of  the  opinion  that  the  case  of  Mr.  Bradly 
might  be  brought  to  the  notice  of  president  Santa  Anna,  as  one  in  which  I 
feel  a deep  interest,  on  account  of  his  worthy  and  venerable  father,  with- 
out subjecting  me  to  the  imputation  of  presuming  too  far  on  the  personal 
relations  subsisting  between  myself  and  the  President,  I leave  it  to  your 
discretion  to  make  the  communication  to  him. 

“ I avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  thank  you  for  your  kindness  in  vindi- 
cating my  character,  when  my  views  and  conduct  respecting  the  separation 
of  Texas  from  Mexico,  were  misrepresented  and  unjustly  assailed.*  On 

* Alluding  to  what  had  occurred  between  General  Tornel,  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
myself,  upon  the  occasion  of  my  remonstrating  against  the  Texian  prisoners 
being  made  to  work  on  the  streets,  and  other  improper  treatment  which  they  received. 
General  Tornel  spoke  in  offensive  terms  of  the  conduct  of  my  government  in  connection 
with  the  revolution  in  Texas.  I repelled  his  charges  with  a good  deal  of  warmth.  He 
then  said  that  he  liked  Mr.  Tyler  and  Mr.  Webster,  and  the  whig  party,  but  that  it 
was  to  General  Jackson  and  the  democratic  party  that  he  had  alluded,  and  that  General 
Jackson  was  the  originator  of  the  revolution  in  Texas.  He  no  doubt  knew  that  I was  a 


APPENDIX. 


281 


the  receipt  of  your  letter,  being  confined  with  sickness,  I was  unable  to 
respond  to  it  and  tender  you  my  thanks  for  the  justice  you  rendered  me  on 
that  occasion,  and  I am  now  laboring  under  great  debility,  and  write  with 
great  difficulty.  Permit  me  to  assure  you  that  I subscribe  myself  with  great 
cordiality  and  respect,  your  well  wisher  and  obedient  servant, 

“ Andrew  Jackson.” 

This  allusion  to  General  Jackson  recalls  to  my  memory  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  acquaintances  which  I formed  whilst  I was  in  Mexico,  and 
one  of  the  most  striking  men  whom  I have  known  anywhere — General 
Miller,  the  present  British  Consul  General  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.  He 
served  in  the  British  army  as  a subaltern  officer  in  our  late  war  with 
England,  and  was  at  the  battles  of  Baltimore,  Bladensburg,  and  the  eighth 
of  January.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  went  to  South  America  and  en- 
tered the  Patriot  army.  He  was  a long  time  aide-de-camp  to  Bolivar,  and 
afterwards  a major-general  in  the  army.  He  commanded  a division  of 
the  Patriot  army  at  the  great  and  decisive  battle  of  Ayacucho,  and  bore  a 
conspicuous  part  in  all  the  wars  of  South  America,  as  must  be  known  to 
every  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  those  wars.  He  is  in  all 
respects  an  accomplished  officer,  and  most  fascinating  gentleman. 

I was  first  introduced  to  him  at  a dinner  party  at  the  house  of  the  Prus- 
sian minister,  Mr.  Von  Gerolt ; the  conversation  turned  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  military  peace  establishments.  General  Miller  said  to  me  that  he 
was  surprised  that  any  standing  army  should  be  kept  up  in  the  United 
States ; that  certainly  no  nation  would  ever  be  so  infatuated  as  to  think 
of  invading  our  country ; and  that  even  if  such  a thing  should  occur, 
that  our  militia  constituted  an  all-sufficient  defence.  I told  him  that  I 
thought  so,  and  that  it  was  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  most  credita- 
ble achievements  of  American  arms  had  been  in  battles  where  the  larger 
proportion  of  the  troops  engaged  were  militia.  He  asked  me  which  of 
our  victories  I regarded  as  the  most  remarkable  ? I was  disinclined  to 
enter  upon  that  subject,  as  the  only  wars  in  which  we  had  been  engaged 
had  been  with  his  own  country,  and  so  said  to  him.  He  pressed  the  sub- 
ject, however,  but  in  the  most  kind  and  gentlemanlike  manner ; I had 

Whig.  But  he  was  greatly  mistaken,  as  he  soon  discovered,  if  he  supposed  that  any  dis- 
paragement of  the  political  party  to  which  I was  opposed,  would  be  agreeable  to  me.  I 
have  no  words  to  express  the  scorn  which  I feel  for  one  who  in  a foreign  country,  or  in 
his  intercourse  with  one,  could  for  a moment  remember  our  own  party  divisions. 


282 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


occasionally  had  discussions  of  the  most  good-humored  character  with 
some  of  the  English  gentlemen  in  Mexico  upon  the  subject  of  the  differ- 
ent battles  between  the  troops  of  our  respective  countries, — this  had 
been  communicated  to  General  Miller,  and  I saw  that  he  was  disposed  to 
draw  me  into  a discussion.  He  asked  me  if  I regarded  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans  as  one  of  our  greatest  victories  ? I replied  that  I certainly 
considered  the  battle  of  the  8th  of  January  as  somewhat  of  a victory. 
He  admitted  that  it  was,  but  said,  that  the  American  troops  were  protected 
by  a breastwork.  I replied,  that  they  had  no  breastworks  on  the  night 
of  the  23d  of  December,  that  this  battle  was  fought  in  a clear  field, 
and  that  the  number  of  the  British  forces  was  twice  that  of  the 
American.  He  said  that  I was  mistaken,  that  he  was  there  himself, 
and  that  the  American  army  numbered  nearly  two  thousand  men,  and 
that  not  more  than  fifteen  hundred  of  the  British  army  had  then  landed 
or  took  any  part  in  the  engagement ; he  admitted,  however,  that  he  was 
not  one  of  those  who  had  landed,  and  that  he  could  not  speak  as  of 
his  own  personal  knowledge.  He  added,  that  there  was  nothing  more 
natural  than  that  the  victorious  party  should  exaggerate  the  number  of  the 
enemy ; I thought,  and  so  said  to  him  that  there  was  at  least  one  thing  more 
natural  which  was  that  the  vanquished  army  should  state  their  numbers  at 
less  than  they  really  were.  I remembered  that  a few  days  after  this 
battle,  General  Jackson  had  issued  a general  order  in  which  he  stated 
the  force  of  the  enemy  as  more  than  double  his  own ; I happened  to 
have  in  the  legation  a copy  of  Niles’  Register  which  contained  this  gene- 
ral order. — General  Miller  called  the  next  day  to  read  it,  and  in  the  end 
admitted  that  he  might  have  been  mistaken.  He  frequently  visited  me, 
and  I parted  with  him  with  sincere  regret,  and  shall  always  remember 
him  with  a respect  not  unmixed  with  admiration ; he  was  kind  enough  to 
give  me  an  extract  of  a letter  which  he  had  written  to  Colonel  O’Leary, 
who  also  had  been  one  of  the  aides-de-camp  of  Bolivar.  The  reader  will 
be,  in  some  degree,  able  from  this  extract  to  judge  whether  1 have  over- 
rated the  character  of  General  Miller. 

Extract  from  a letter  written  by  General  Miller,  dated  18th  March,  1833,  to  Colonel  O’Leary, 
respecting  a parallel  by  the  latter,  between  Washington  and  Bolivar,  published  in  a Chi- 
lian newspaper. 

“ Do  not,  my  dear  O’Leary,  run  away  like  our  fiery  friend,  with  the 
wrong  notion,  that  I am  inimical  to  the  Liberator,  because  I happen  to  dif- 
fer widely  from  you  in  the  general  view  I take  of  that  celebrated  man. 


APPENDIX. 


283 


Let  us  rather  discuss  the  matter  fairly  and  coolly,  for  by  so  doing  we  may 
be  of  mutual  assistance  to  each  other.  My  prejudices,  if  prejudices  they 
be,  may  be  made  to  vanish,  and  your  excessive  enthusiasm  on  some  points, 
by  being  moderated,  may  be  displayed  with  better  effect. 

“ In  this  spirit  I will  frankly  confess  that  I do  not  think  the  parallel  you 
have  so  eloquently  drawn  between  Washington  and  Bolivar,  quite  accurate, 
much  less  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  give  a similar  one  to  the  public ; 
at  all  events,  there  would  be  no  harm  in  your  consulting  persons  capable 
of  judging  of  the  merits  of  the  case,  who,  unentangled  with  South  Ameri- 
can affairs,  may  lay  claim  to  impartiality. 

“ Washington’s  pure  patriotism,  his  steadiness  of  purpose,  his  admirable 
consistency  of  character  and  conduct,  his  stern  undeviating  principles,  his 
aversion  to  everything  flimsy  and  bombastic,  in  short,  his  elevated,  noble 
ambition  of  meriting  the  approbation  of  a good,  as  well  as  a great,  man, 
place  him  higher  in  the  admiration  and  respect  of  the  moral  world,  than 
any  other  hero,  ancient  or  modern  ; at  least  so  I have  always  understood  it 
to  be.  It  is  true  that  Washington  had  not  large  patrimonial  domains  to  offer 
in  support  of  the  cause  he  espoused,  but  he  was  frugal,  and  did  not  squan- 
der any  public  money  on  himself  or  others ; and  his  being  born  in  the  mid- 
dle class  of  life,  and  in  ‘ humble  circumstances,  whilst  Bolivar  was  by  birth 
the  noblest  of  his  native  country,’  was  an  accident  that  a republican  would 
hardly  advance  to  prove  superiority  in  any  way. 

“ There  is,  indeed,  little  similarity  of  character  between  Washington  and 
Bolivar.  The  first  stands  so  high  amongst  all  civilized  people,  that  it  is 
necessary  to  guard  against  saying  anything  bordering  on  disparagement  of 
him,  in  order,  by  comparison,  to  raise  the  fame  of  another,  whose  charac- 
ter and  reputation  have  not  yet  been  so  satisfactorily  established.  Wash- 
ington not  only  aspired  at  achieving  the  independence  of  his  country,  but 
he  labored  incessantly,  and  he  was  gifted  with  the  right  sort  of  sterling 
genius  to  establish  the  finest  frame-work  of  a government  that  ever  existed  ; 
at  all  events,  one  generally  acknowledged  to  be  the  best  adapted  to  a peo- 
ple, capable  of  being,  and  deserving  to  be  free.  He  was  not  a violent  re- 
publican one  day,  a Vitalicio  the  next,  and  alternately  both,  as  suited  his 
caprice  or  his  opinion  of  circumstances.  His  merit  did  not  consist  in  high- 
flown,  flowery  writings,  but  in  productions  abounding  in  plain  good  sense, 
and  of  practical  utility.  He  never  broke  a solemn  pledge ; had  he  done  so, 
whatever  and  how  sincere  soever  might  have  been  his  motives,  he  never 
would  have  obtained  the  high  character  awarded  him.  Washington,  rather 
than  break  his  word,  would  have  lost  his  life.  Neither  Napoleon  nor  Bo- 
livar seemed  to  have  understood — certainly  did  not  always  act  upon — this 
grand  moral  principle,  without  which  society  must  be  very  imperfect. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


284 

“ Warriors  and  heroes,  I believe,  are  going  out  of  fashion,  and  I am  glad 
of  it.  Franklin,  Bentham,  and  great  men  of  their  stamp  will,  as  the  march 
of  intellect  advances,  possess  more  the  admiration  of  future  generations. 
This,  however,  is  getting  out  of  my  depth  ; I will,  therefore,  drop  a sub- 
ject Ifeel  incapable  of  handling — and  recollect,  what  I have  said  is  merely 
as  a hint  in  the  rough,  for  your  perusal.” 


y . 

DIPLOMATIC  CORRESPONDENCE. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Mexico,  Mr.  Bocanegra,  the  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  addressed  a circular  to  the  Members  of  the  Diplomatic 
Corps,  in  relation  to  the  conduct  of  our  government  in  the  war  between 
Mexico  and  Texas.  An  object  very  near  my  heart  was  the  release  of 
the  Texian  prisoners,  and  as  that  matter  was  in  a favorable  train  I was 
unwilling  if  I could  have  avoided  it  to  have  done  anything  to  defeat  it,  but 
the  circular  to  the  diplomatic  corps  was  of  a character  so  offensive  that 
I felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  reply  to  it.  My  reply  bears  date  the  6th  June, 
1842,  and  Mr.  Webster’s  reply  to  the  same  in  a despatch  to  me  is  dated 
on  the  8th  July,  1842. 

At  the  time  that  the  reply  of  Mr.  Webster  was  written,  he  had  not 
received  mine,  but  he  received  it  five  days  afterwards,  when  his  second 
communication  to  me  bears  date.  My  reply  to  Mr.  Bocanegra  has  not 
been  published  in  the  newspapers  of  this  country ; I hope,  therefore,  that 
I may  be  pardoned  for  inserting  it  in  this  volume.  It  will  be  seen  that 
Mr.  Webster  pursues  the  same  train  of  argument  which  I had  before 
done,  and  instructs  me  to  say  almost  exactly  what  I had  already  said  in 
reply  to  Mr.  Bocanegra,  but  of  which  it  seems  Mr.  Webster  was  igno- 
rant at  the  time  ; my  arguments  are  all  found  in  Mr.  Webster’s  reply, 
with  an  additional  argument  on  the  right  of  expatriation,  a right  which 
Mexico  has  never  denied,  and  a review  of  the  Texian  revolution.  The 
reply  of  Mr.  Webster,  is  doubtless  better  written,  for  the  reason  that  he 
wrote  the  one  and  I the  other.  But  the  coincidence  is  certainly  a 
striking  one. 


APPENDIX. 


285 


“ [ Translation .J 

“ National  Palace,  Mexico, 

“ May  12,  1842. 

“ The  undersigned,  Secretary  of  State  and  Foreign  Relations,  enjoys  the 
satisfaction  of  addressing  the  honorable  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  the  name  and  by  the  express  order  of  his  excellency 
the  President  of  the  Mexican  Republic.  The  relations  of  amity  and  good 
harmony  which  have  happily  subsisted  between  this  and  your  great  nation 
might  have  been  disturbed,  in  a lamentable  manner,  since  the  year  1835, 
when  the  revolution  of  Texas  broke  out,  if  the  Mexican  government  had 
not  given  so  many  evidences  of  its  forbearance,  and  had  not  made  so  many 
and  so  great  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  peace,  in  order  that  the  world  might 
not,  with  pain  and  amazement,  see  the  two  nations  which  appear  to  be 
destined  to  establish  the  policy  and  the  interests  of  the  American  continent 
divided  and  ravaged  by  the  evils  of  war. 

“ But,  from  that  truly  unfortunate  period,  the  Mexican  Republic  has 
received  nothing  but  severe  injuries  and  inflictions  from  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States.  The  Mexican  government  speaks  only  of  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  as  it  still  flatters  itself  with  the  belief  that  it  is  not  the 
government  of  that  country  which  has  promoted  the  insurrection  in  Texas, 
which  has  favored  the  usurpation  of  its  territory,  and  has  supplied  the 
rebels  with  ammunition,  arms,  vessels,  money  and  recruits — but  that  these 
aggressions  have  proceeded  from  private  individuals,  who  have  not  respected 
the  solemn  engagements  which  bind  together  the  two  nations,  nor  the 
treaties  concluded  between  them,  nor  the  conduct,  ostensibly  frank,  of  the 
Cabinet  of  Washington 

“ It  is,  however,  notorious,  that  the  insurgent  colonists  of  that  integral 
part  of  the  territory  of  the  Mexican  Republic  would  have  been  unable  to 
maintain  their  prolonged  rebellion,  without  the  aid  and  efficient  sympa- 
thies of  citizens  of  the  United  States,  who  have  publicly  raised  forces  in 
their  cities  and  towns  ; have  fitted  out  vessels  in  their  ports,  and  laden  them 
with  munitions  of  war  ; and  have  marched  to  commit  hostilities  against  a 
friendly  nation,  under  the  eyes  and  with  the  knowledge  of  the  authorities 
to  whom  are  intrusted  the  fulfilment  of  the  law. 

“ The  Mexican  government  entertains  so  high  an  opinion  of  the  force  of 
the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  of  its  power  to  restrain  those  its 
subjects  from  violating  the  religious  faith  of  treaties,  solemnly  concluded 
between  it  and  other  nations,  and  from  committing  hostilities  against  such 
nations  in  time  of  peace,  that  it  cannot  easily  comprehend  how  those  per- 
sons have  been  able  to  evade  the  punishment  decreed  against  them  by  the 


286 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


laws  of  the  United  States  themselves,  and  to  obtain  that  quiet  impunity 
which  incessantly  encourages  them  to  continue  their  attacks.  It  is  well 
worthy  of  remark,  that,  no  sooner  does  the  Mexican  government,  in  the 
exercise  of  its  rights,  which  it  cannot  and  does  not  desire  to  renounce,  pre- 
pare means  to  recover  a possession  usurped  from  it,  than  the  whole  popu- 
lation of  the  United  States,  especially  in  the  southern  States,  is  in  commo- 
tion ; and,  in  the  most  public  manner,  a large  portion  of  them  is  turned 
upon  Texas,  in  order  to  prevent  the  rebels  from  being  subjected  by  the 
Mexican  arms,  and  brought  back  to  proper  obedience. 

44  Could  proceedings  more  hostile,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  have 
taken  place,  had  that  country  been  at  war  with  the  Mexican  Republic  ? 
Could  the  insurgents  of  Texas  have  obtained  a co-operation  more  effective 
or  more  favorable  to  their  interests  ? Certainly  not.  The  civilized  world 
looks  on  with  amazement,  and  the  Mexican  government  is  filled  with 
unspeakable  regret,  as  it  did  hope,  and  had  a right  to  hope,  that,  living  in 
peace  with  the  United  States,  your  government  would  preserve  our  territory 
from  the  invasions  of  your  own  subjects.  The  vicinity  of  a friend  is  an 
advantage  rather  than  an  inconvenience  ; but  if  one  neighbor  oversteps  the 
sacred  limits  imposed  by  treaties,  and  disturbs  and  harasses  another,  it  can- 
not oe  maintained  that  the  friendship  of  the  former  is  real,  and  that  much 
confidence  should  be  placed  in  it 

44  The  government  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  therefore,  which  regards 
the  faithful  fulfilment  of  treaties  as  its  highest  obligation,  which  anxiously 
desires  to  preserve  and  increase  its  friendly  relations  with  the  people  and 
the  government  of  the  United  States,  finds  itself  under  the  necessity  of 
protesting  solemnly  against  the  aggressions  which  the  citizens  of  those 
States  are  constantly  repeating  upon  the  Mexican  territory,  and  of  declar- 
ing, in  a positive  manner,  that  it  considers  as  a violation  of  the  treaty  of 
amity  the  toleration  of  a course  of  conduct  which  produces  an  incomprehen- 
sible state  of  things — a state  neither  of  peace  nor  war — but  inflicting 
upon  the  Mexican  Republic  the  same  injuries  and  inconveniences  as  if  war 
had  been  declared  between  the  two  nations,  which  are  called  by  Provi- 
dence to  form  with  each  other  relations  and  bonds  of  extreme  and  cordial 
friendship. 

And  the  undersigned,  in  complying  with  this  order  from  the  most  excel- 
lent Provisional  President  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  assures  you,  sir,  of 
the  high  consideration  with  which  he  remains  your  obedient  servant, 

44  J.  M.  De  Bocanegra. 

44  Hon.  Daniel  Webster, 

44  Secretary  of  State 

44  of  the  United  States  of  America 


APPENDIX. 


287 


“ [ Translation.] 

“ Circular  to  the  Diplomatic  Corps  residing  in  Mexico. 

“ National  Palace,  Mexico, 

“ May  31,  1842. 

“ The  undersigned,  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations  and  Government,  has 

the  honor  to  address  , in  order  to  inform  him  of  the  situation  in  which 

the  affairs  of  Texas  stand  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States  of  Ameri- 
ca, making  known  to  him  the  honesty  and  good  faith  with  which  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  Mexican  Republic  has  acted  in  this  important  matter,  and 
thus  to  avoid  any  interpretation  [misinterpretation  ?]  of  its  conduct. 

“ As  soon  as  his  excellency,  the  Provisional  President,  had  taken  charge 
of  the  government,  he  endeavored  to  settle  all  the  difficulties  which  had 
previously  existed  against  the  reconquest  of  Texas,  being,  as  he  still  is, 
persuaded  that  every  sacrifice  ought  to  be  made  on  that  point,  with  the 
utmost  pleasure,  in  order  to  vindicate  satisfactorily,  and  firmly  to  sustain, 
the  dignity  and  the  honor  of  the  nation.  The  first  measures  taken  with 
this  object  awakened  the  ambition  of  some  persons  in  the  United  States  of 
North  America,  and  their  citizens  hastened  to  assist  the  adventurers  of 
Texas  in  an  explicit  and  ample  manner,  forgetting  their  duties  towards 
Mexico,  arising  from  the  relations  between  this  republic  and  that  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  In  presence  of  their  authorities,  meetings  have 
been  formed  with  that  express  object.  Volunteers  have  been  enlisted  and 
armed,  who  marched  to  that  usurped  territory,  and  with  them  have  been  sent 
munitions  of  war,  provisions,  and  everything  else  necessary  for  hostilities 
against  the  Mexicans  ; no  other  cry  being  heard  than  that  of  war  against 
Mexico,  and  assistance  to  Texas.  The  supreme  government  has  remonstrated 
against  such  conduct  frankly,  being  persuaded  that  the  government  of  the 
United  States  would  cause  its  citizens  to  return  to  their  duty ; but  it  sees,  with 
regret,  that,  far  from  giving  this  evidence  on  itS"  own  part,  and  on  the  part 
of  its  subaltern  and  local  authorities,  the  aggressions  made  upon  the  terri- 
tory of  this  republic  are  tolerated,  notwithstanding  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment has  protested,  formally  and  repeatedly,  against  them,  making  known 
to  the  United  States  the  violation  committed  and  the  wrong  done  by  thus 
acting  in  opposition  to  the  most  sacred  principles  of  national  law,  and  the 
treaties  of  amity  by  which  both  nations  are  strongly  bound. 

“ His  excellency,  the  Provisional  President,  desires,  in  consequence  of 
what  has  been  here  set  forth,  and  with  regard  to  the  future,  that  the  na- 
tions with  which  the  Mexican  Republic  happily  maintains  the  strongest 
friendship  should  be  made  well  aware  of  these  facts,  and  should  know  that 


288 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


Mexico,  though  not  wishing  to  disturb  the  relations  which  she  still  pre- 
serves with  the  said  United  States,  will  assert  and  maintain  the  justice  of 
her  cause,  which  she  considers  to  be  based  on  the  law  of  nations,  by  doing 
all  that  is  imperiously  required  for  her  honor  and  dignity. 

“ The  undersigned,  who  well  knows  the  uprightness  and  the  sound  judg- 
ment of  his  excellency , doubts  not  that  he  will  submit  all  that  is 

here  set  forth  to  his  enlightened  government ; and,  while  requesting  that 
gentleman  to  do  so,  by  express  order  of  his  excellency  the  Provisional 
President,  he  repeats  the  assurances  of  his  most  distinguished  considera- 
tion. 


“(A  true  copy.) 

“ Mexico , June  1,  1842. 


“ J.  M.  De  Bocanegra.” 


“ Mr.  Thompson  to  the  Diplomatic  Corps  in  Mexico. 

“ Legation  of  the  United  States  of  America, 

“ Mexico , June  6,  1842. 

“ Sir  : I have  received  from  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Relations  and  Go- 
vernment a copy  of  the  circular  which  he  has  been  pleased  to  address  to 
yourself  and  to  each  of  the  diplomatic  representatives  of  other  coun- 
tries resident  here,  and  also  a copy  of  a communication  addressed  to  Mr. 
Webster,  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States.  At  first  I thought 
that  I would  reply  to  neither,  but  leave  them  to  be  answered  by  Mr.  Web- 
ster, well  satisfied  that  the  reply  of  that  distinguished  citizen  would  carry 
with  it  much  higher  authority,  both  from  his  official  position  and  the  greater 
ability  with  which  the  topics  involved  would  be  treated  by  him  ; but,  upon 
further  reflection,  I have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  address  you  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 

“ I cannot  express  to  you  my  astonishment  and  regret  at  this  procedure 
on  the  part  of  the  Mexican  Government.  The  appeal  is  in  itself  an  ex- 
traordinary proceeding,  and  still  more  extraordinary  in  the  positions  which 
are  assumed,  and  in  the  tone  of  menace  and  ill  feeling  which  pervade  both 
documents.  Whilst  I am  very  sure  that  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  recognizes  no  tribunal  to  which  it  holds  itself  responsible  but  the 
enlightened  public  opinion  of  its  own  people,  yet  a just  regard  for  the 
opinions  of  the  world  may  require  a reply  to,  and  refutation  of,  the  very 
harsh  charges,  which  are  equally  harshly  made  by  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment. I deny,  then,  broadly,  that  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
has  in  any  one  of  the  cases  stated,  or  in  any  other  particular,  openly  or 
secretly  ‘ violated  the  most  sacred  of  the  principles  and  the  rights  of  na- 


APPENDIX. 


289 


tions  ’ towards  the  Government  of  Mexico  ; on  the  contrary,  I affirm,  that 
to  no  Government  in  Christendom  has  the  conduct  of  the  United  States 
been  so  uniformly  kind  and  forbearing.  So  remarkably  has  this  been 
the  case,  that,  since  the  existence  of  Mexico  as  a republic,  I am  not  aware 
that  there  has  been  a single  complaint,  or  cause  of  complaint,  against  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  with  the  exception  of  the  difficulties 
growing  out  of  the  Texian  war ; and  I trust  that  I shall  be  able  fully  and 
entirely  to  vindicate  the  conduct  of  my  Government  in  relation  to  that. 
Not  only  have  we  never  done  an  act  of  an  unfriendly  character  towards 
Mexico,  but,  I confidently  assert,  that  from  the  very  first  moment  of  the 
existence  of  the  republic,  we  have  allowed  to  pass  unimproved  no  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  Mexico  an  act  of  kindness.  I will  not  now  enumerate 
the  acts  of  that  character  both  to  the  Government  of  Mexico  and  its.  citi- 
zens, public  and  private.  If  this  Government  chooses  to  forget  them,  I 
will  not  recall  them.  Whilst  such  has  been  our  course  to  Mexico,  it  is 
with  pain  that  I am  forced  to  say  that  the  open  violation  of  the  rights  of 
American  citizens,  by  the  authorities  of  Mexico,  has  been  greater,  for  the 
last  fifteen  years,  than  those  of  all  the  Governments  of  Christendom 
united  ; and  yet  we  have  left  the  redress  of  all  these  multiplied  and  accu- 
mulated wrongs  to  friendly  negotiation,  without  having  even  intimated  a 
disposition  to  resort  to  force. 

“ I have  deemed  it  necessary  to  make  these  preliminary  remarks  before 
proceeding  to  consider  the  charges,  as  I now  do,  so  solemnly  preferred 
against  my  Government,  in  the  circular  addressed  to  you.  These  charges, 
as  I understand  them,  are  the  following  : 

“ 1st.  Public  meetings  in  the  United  States  in  favor  of  Texas. 

“ 2.  The  aid  furnished  the  Texians  by  volunteers  from  the  United 
States. 

“ 3.  The  sending  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war  to  the  Texians. 

“ As  to  the  matter  of  public  meetings  of  the  people,  I have  yet  to  learn 
that  such  meetings  have  ever  been  considered,  by  any  writer  on  public 
law,  as  a violation  of  neutrality,  or  that,  up  to  this  time,  any  complaint 
has  been  made  on  that  point.  The  right  of  our  people  thus  to  assemble, 
for  any  purpose,  is  not  only  secured  by  an  express  provision  of  our  Consti- 
tution, but  has  a much  older  and  equally  honorable  origin  ; it  was  one  of 
the  great  securities  of  English  liberty,  extorted  from  an  unwilling  and  ar- 
bitrary sovereign  ; it  is,  perhaps,  the  very  last  which  our  people  will  ever 
permit  to  be  violated  or  curtailed. 

“ The  Government  is  not  obliged  to  act  upon  the  remonstrances  and  pe-. 
titions  of  these  meetings,  and  it  is  the  action  of  the  Government  alone  which 
is  to  be  complained  of.  Such  meetings,  upon  all  subjects,  are  of  daily  oc- 

14 


290 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


currence.  In  the  very  same  week,  for  example,  in  which  the  meeting  in 
New  Orleans  in  favor  of  Texas  was  held,  there  was  another  meeting  in 
favor  of  the  repeal  of  the  Irish  union,  and  with  the  view  to  contribute 
funds  and  other  aid  to  that  end.  During  the  late  Canadian  insurrection, 
such  meetings  of  our  citizens  were  of  frequent  occurrence  on  the  Canadian 
frontier,  yet  it  never  has  occurred  to  the  British  Cabinet  to  make  any  com- 
plaint on  the  subject.  Again  r Public  meetings  are  constantly  held  in  Eng- 
land, for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  abolition  of  a great  and  vital  institu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  agents  are  sent  to  our  country  to  disseminate 
their  dangerous  principles.  Nay,  more ; they  come  to  our  country,  and  ad- 
< dress  public  assemblies,  denouncing  a large  portion  of  our  people  and  our 
institutions,  in  language,  in  comparison  with  which  that  used  in  the  public 
meetings  towards  Mexico  is  the  language  of  compliment.  Such  meetings 
are  daily  held,  in  which,  in  the  violence  of  party  excitement,  language  the 
most  harsh  and  unmeasured  is  applied  to  the  policy  of  our  Government  and 
the  conduct  of  its  officers.  I should,  therefore,  regret  to  believe  that  the 
peace  of  the  United  States  and  Mexico  depends  upon  the  former  being  re- 
quired to  interfere,  in  any  way,  to  prevent  these  public  meetings,  well 
knowing  that  this  is  impossible.  I come  now  to  the  second  ground — the  aid 
furnished  by  volunteers  from  the  United  States. 

“ It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  this  has  caused  some  ill  feelings  on  the 
part  of  the  Mexicans  towards  us.  But  I had  hoped  that  the  intelligent 
men  who  are  at  the  head  of  the  Mexican  Government  would  have  been 
satisfied  that  my  Government  had  used  all  the  means  in  its  power  to  pre- 
vent this  ; and  I think  I may  say,  with  confidence,  that  it  has  done  all  that 
was  required  by  the  obligations  of  the  laws  of  nations,  and  of  that  good 
faith  which  should  be  observed  between  friendly  Governments.  Our  own 
laws  upon  this  subject,  which  embody  to  the  fullest  extent  the  principles 
of  the  law  of  nations,  only  authorize  the  prevention  of  armed  and  orga- 
nized expeditions.  It  is  not  permitted,  nor  is  it  to  be  expected,  that  we 
should  forbid  emigration  ; nor  is  it  a violation  of  the  obligations  of  neutral- 
ity that  the  country  to  which  our  people  choose  to  emigrate  happens  to  be 
at  war  with  another  with  which  we  are  friendly.  The  citizens  and  sub- 
jects of  all  countries  have  gone  to  Texas  and  joined  its  armies  The  only 
difference  is,  that  a larger  number  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  has 
gone  to  that  country.  Does  the  number  alter  the  principle  ? If  one  may 
go,  may  not  ten  ? If  ten,  why  not  a hundred,  or  a thousand  ? The  prin- 
ciple is  the  same.  An  American  citizen,  for  example,  is  about  to  embark 
from  New  Orleans,  and  he  has  his  rifle,  Bowie  knife,  and  pistols.  Have 
our  authorities  any  power  to  stop  him  ? If  there  are  ten,  or  a hundred, 
the  case  is  the  same.  I go  further  ; If  they  admit  they  are  going  to  Texasj 


APPENDIX. 


291 


and  inte.nd  to  become  citizens,  and  to  join  the  armies  of  that  country,  it 
cannot  be  prevented.  All  that  could  be  said  to  them  would  be,  c If  you 
go  to  Texas  and  become  citizens,  you  have  a right  to  do  so — to  change 
your  allegiance,  and  to  discharge  all  the  new  duties  which  such  a change 
of  allegiance  may  exact ; but  you  are  no  longer  a citizen  of  the  United 
States.5 

“ If  a regular  military  expedition  is  fitted  out,  then  it  is  not  only  our 
right,  but^ur  high  duty,  to  prevent  it.  In  all  the  revolutionary  move- 
ments of  the  South  American  Republics,  including  Mexico,  large  numbers 
of  our  people  joined  the  insurgents.  It  has  always  been  so,  and  always 
will  be.  Such  is  the  innate  and  enthusiastic  love  of  liberty  of  our  people, 
that,  wherever  on  this  continent  the  banner  may  float  with  that  sacred 
word  inscribed  upon  it,  our  ardent,  impetuous,  and  often  inconsiderate 
young  men  will  be  found  rallying  to  it,  doubtless  without  properly  judging 
of  the  principles  involved,  or  of  the  benefits  to  the  great  cause  of  human 
rights  from  the  result.  Such  was  eminently  the  case  when  Mexico  revolt- 
ed from  Spain,  but  with  this  remarkable  difference — that  the  American 
citizens  taken  prisoners  by  Spain  whilst  fighting  for  Mexico,  were  prompt- 
ly released,  upon  the  application  of  our  Government. 

The  third  and  last  ground  is,  the  furnishing  the  Texians  with  arms 
and  munitions  of  war,  not  by  our  Government,  but  by  private  individuals, 
on  their  own  account,  and  at  their  own  risk.  I confess  that  I was  surprised 
to  see  this  made  a matter  of  complaint  by  so  eminent  a jurist  as  Mr.  De 
Bocanegra.  I assert  that  such  trade  is  no  violation  of  neutrality ; that  it 
has  never  been  so  regarded  by  any  respectable  writer  on  public  law  ; and 
that  it  is  a well-settled  principle,  that,  to  send  articles  contraband  of  war 
to  a belligerent  is  no  violation  of  neutrality,  the  only  penalty  being  the  for- 
feiture of  the  articles  themselves. 

“ The  old  rule,  indeed,  was,  that  the  articles,  if  seized  by  the  belligerent, 
should  be  paid  for ; but  the  very  farthest  that  :he  principle  upon  this  sub- 
ject has  been  carried  is,  that  the  articles  should  be  forfeited.  Vattel  says . 
‘ Recourse  is  had  to  the  expedient  of  confiscating  all  contraband  goods  that 
we  can  seize  on,  in  order  that  the  fear  of  loss  may  operate  as  a check  on 
the  avidity  of  gain,  and  deter  the  merchants  of  neutral  countries  from  sup- 
plying the  enemy  with  such  commodities. 

“ ‘ In  order,  therefore,  to  avoid  perpetual  subjects  of  complaint  and  rup- 
ture, it  has,  in  perfect  conformity  to  sound  principles,  been  agreed  that  the 
belligerent  powers  may  seize  and  confiscate  all  contraband  goods  which 
neutral  persons  attempt  to  carry  to  their  enemy,  without  any  complaint  of 
the  sovereign  of  those  merchants ; as,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Power  at  war 
does  not  impute  to  the  neutral  sovereigns  those  practices  of  their  subjects. 


292 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


Care  is  taken  to  settle  every  particular  of  this  kind  in  treaties  of  commerce 
and  navigation.’ — (Book  iii.,  chap.  7,  § 112). 

I will  not  extend  this  article  further,  by  quoting  more  from  authors  on 
public  law  to  prove  the  position  which  I have  above  asserted.  You  will 
perhaps  be  surprised  to  learn  that  this  principle  of  the  law  of  nations  is 
embodied  in  and  made  a separate  and  express  article  of  the  treaty  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States  (viz.,  Article  20). 

4 The  articles  of  contraband  before  enumerated  and  classified,  which 
may  be  found  in  a vessel  bound  for  the  enemy’s  port,  shall  be  subject  to  de- 
tention and  confiscation,  leaving  free  the  rest  of  the  cargo  and  vessel , that 
the  owners  may  dispose  of  them  as  they  see  proper.  No  vessel  of  either 
of  the  two  nations  shall  be  detained  on  the  high  seas,  on  account  of  having 
on  board  articles  of  contraband,  whenever  the  master,  captain,  or  super- 
cargo of  said  vessel  will  deliver  up  the  articles  of  contraband  to  the  captor, 
unless  the  quantity  of  such  article  be  so  great,  and  of  so  large  a bulk,  that 
they  cannot  be  received  on  board  the  capturing  vessel  without  great  incon- 
venience ; but  in  this,  and  all  other  cases  of  just  detention,  the  vessel  de- 
tained shall  be  sent  to  the  nearest  convenient  and  safe  port,  for  trial  and 
judgment  according  to  law.’ 

Here  you  will  see  that  the  sole  penalty,  and  so  expressly  stated,  is  the 
forfeiture  of  the  articles  of  contraband  ; and,  as  if  to  put  it  in  the  strongest 
possible  light  that  this  is  to  be  the  sole  penalty,  it  is  stipulated  that,  if  the 
vessel  is  found  carrying  contraband  of  war,  the  articles  of  contraband  shall 
be  taken  out,  and  the  vessel  allowed  to  proceed. 

If  anything  more  could  be  required  on  this  subject,  it  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  munitions  of  war  are  now  constantly  shipped  from  New  Orleans 
to  Mexico,  with  the  knowledge  of  our  authorities,  and  without  any  right 
or  disposition  to  prevent  it.  Within  the  last  six  months,  two  armed  schoon- 
ers, built  in  the  United  States,  and  known  to  be  intended  expressly  for  the 
Texian  war,  were  permitted  to  leave  our  ports,  not  to  cruise  against  Texas, 
but  as  the  property  of  the  builders,  to  be  transferred  to  Mexico  when  they 
should  be  beyond  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States — these  contractors 
taking  the  risk,  that,  being  contraband  of  war,  they  might  be  seized  by  the 
Texians,  and  would  be  liable  to  forfeiture.  Nay,  more  : when  one  of  these 
vessels  was  wrecked,  a Government  vessel  of  the  United  States  was  sent 
expressly  to  rescue  the  passengers  and  as  much  of  the  wreck  as  was  valu- 
able. 

After  all  these  things,  sir,  am  I not  justified  in  expressing  the  astonish- 
ment which  I have  felt  in  reading  the  communication  addressed  to  you 
in  which,  among  other  things,  is  charged,  and  in  terms  not  the  most  cour- 
teous, as  one  of  our  offences  against  the  law  of  nations,  this  very  act  of 


APPENDIX. 


293 


sending  munitions  of  war,  the  right  to  do  which  is  expressly  secured  by 
our  treaty  with  Mexico,  and  of  the  practice  of  which  Mexico  has  largely 
availed  herself. 

I hope  that  the  Mexican  Government  will  review  its  opinions  upon 
these  subjects,  and  I am  not  restrained  from  the  expression  of  this  hope  by 
the  language  of  apparent  menace  which  has  been  used  in  the  communica- 
tions to  which  I have  alluded.  I am  very  sure  that  no  one  who  is  familiar 
with  the  past  history  of  my  country  will  attribute  these  feelings  to  fear  on 
her  part.  They  proceed  from  a very  different  source.  Whilst  we  are,  at 
all  times,  prepared  to  meet,  as  becomes  us,  collisions  with  other  countries, 
we  do  not  deem  it  discreditable  to  say,  that  we  hold  war,  in  all  its  forms,  as 
one  of  the  greatest  of  human  calamities,  and  a causeless  war  as  the  very 
greatest  of  public  crimes. 

I have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

“ Waddy  Thompson.” 

“Mr.  Webster  to  Mr.  Thompson. — (copy.) 

“ Department  of  State, 

“ Washington,  July  8,  1842. 

<c  Sir  : On  the  29th  of  last  month,  a communication  was  received  at  this 
Department,  from  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  Secretary  of  State  and  Foreign  Rela- 
tions of  the  Government  of  Mexico,  having  been  forwarded  through  the 
agency  of  Mr.  Velazquez  de  Leon,  at  New  York,  who  informed  the  De- 
partment, by  a letter  accompanying  that  of  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  that  he  had 
been  appointed  Charge  d’Affaires  of  the  Mexican  Republic  to  this  Govern- 
ment, although  he  had  not  yet  presented  his  credentials.  Mr.  de  Bocane- 
gra’s  letter  is  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  and 
bears  date  the  12th  of  May.  A copy,  together  with  copy  of  the  commu- 
nication from  Mr.  Velazquez  de  Leon,  transmitting  it,  and  of  the  answer 
to  Mr.  Velazquez  de  Leon,  from  this  Department,  you  will  receive  here- 
with. Upon  the  receipt  of  this  despatch,  you  will  immediately  address  a 
note  to  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  in  which  you  will  say,  that — 

“ The  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States  has  received  a letter  ad- 
dressed to  him  by  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  under  date  of  the  12th  of  May,  and 
transmitted  to  the  Department  of  State  at  Washington,  through  the  agency 
of  Mr.  Velazquez  de  Leon,  at  New  York,  who  informs  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  that  he  has  been  appointed  Charge  d’Affaires  of  the 
Mexican  Republic,  although  he  has  not  presented  his  letter  of  credence. 

“ The  Government  of  the  United  States  sees  with  regret  the  adoption,  on 
this  occasion,  of  a form  of  communication  quite  unusual  in  diplomatic  in- 


294 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


tercourse,  and  for  which  no  necessity  is  known.  An  envoy  extraordinary 
and  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States,  fully  accredited  to  the 
Government  of  Mexico,  was  at  that  moment  in  its  capital,  in  the  actual 
discharge  of  his  functions,  and  ready  to  receive,  on  behalf  of  his  Govern- 
ment, any  communication  which  it  might  be  the  pleasure  of  the  President 
of  the  Mexican  Republic  to  make  to  it.  And  it  is  not  improper  to  here  add, 
that  it  has  been  matter  of  regret  with  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
that  while,  being  animated  with  a sincere  desire  at  all  times  to  cultivate 
the  most  amicable  relations  with  Mexico,  it  has  not  failed  to  maintain, 
near  that  Government,  a mission  of  the  highest  rank  known  to  its  usages, 
Mexico,  for  a long  time,  has  had  no  representative  near  the  Government  of 
the  United  States. 

“ But  the  manner  of  the  communication  from  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  however 
novel  and  extraordinary,  is  less  important  than  its  contents  and  character, 
which  surprises  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  by  a loud  complaint 
of  the  violation  of  its  neutral  duties.  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  speaking,  as  he 
says',  by  the  express  order  of  the  President  of  the  Mexican  Republic,  de- 
clares that  the  amicable  relations  between  the  two  countries  might  have 
been  lamentably  disturbed,  since  the  year  1835,  when  the  revolution  of 
Texas  broke  out,  had  not  Mexico  given  so  many  evidences  of  its  forbear- 
ance, and  made  so  many  and  so  great  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  peace,  in 
order  that  the  world  might  not  see,  with  pain  and  amazement,  two  nations 
which  appear  destined  to  establish  the  policy  and  interests  of  the  Ameri- 
can continent  divided  and  ravaged  by  the  evils  of  war. 

“ This  language  implies,  that  such  has  been  the  conduct  of  the  United 
States  towards  Mexico,  that  war  must  have  ensued  before  the  present 
time,  had  not  Mexico  made  great  sacrifices  to  avoid  such  a result — a 
charge  which  the  Government  of  the  United  States  utterly  denies  and  re- 
pels. It  is  wholly  ignorant  of  any  sacrifices  made  by  Mexico,  in  order  to 
preserve  peace,  or  of  any  occasion  calling  on  its  Government  to  manifest 
uncommon  forbearance.  On  the  contrary,  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  cannot  but  be  of  opinion  that,  if  the  history  of  the  occurrences  be- 
tween the  two  Governments,  the  state  of  things  at  this  moment  existing 
between  them,  be  regarded,  both  the  one  and  the  other  will  demonstrate 
that  it  is  the  conduct  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  which  has 
been  marked,  in  an  especial  manner,  by  moderation  and  forbearance.  In- 
juries and  wrongs  have  been  sustained  by  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
not  inflicted  by  individual  Mexicans,  but  by  the  authorities  of  the  Govern- 
ment ; for  which  injuries  and  wrongs,  numerous  as  they  are,  and  outrage- 
ous as  is  the  character  of  some  of  them,  and  acknowledged  as  they  are  by 
Mexico  herself,  redress  has  been  sought  only  by  mild  and  peaceable 


APPENDIX. 


295 


means,  and  no  indemnity  asked  but  such  as  the  strictest  justice  impera- 
tively demanded.  A desire  not  to  disturb  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the 
two  countries  has  led  the  Government  of  the  United  States  to  be  content 
with  the  lowest  measure  of  remuneration.  Mexico  herself  must  admit 
that,  in  all  these  transactions,  the  conduct  of  the  United  States  towards  her 
has  been  signalized,  not  by  the  infliction  of  injuries,  but  by  the  manifesta- 
tion of  a friendly  feeling  and  a conciliatory  spirit. 

“ The  Government  of  the  United  States  will  not  be  unjust  in  its  senti- 
ments towards  Mexico  ; it  will  not  impute  to  its  Government  any  desire  to 
disturb  the  peace ; it  acquits  it  of  any  design  to  spread  the  ravages  and  hor- 
rors of  war  over  the  two  countries  ; and  it  leaves  it  to  Mexico  herself  to 
avow  her  own  motives  for  her  pacific  policy,  if  she  have  any  other  motive 
than  those  of  expediency  and  justice ; provided,  however,  that  such  avowal 
of  her  motives  carry  with  it  no  imputation  or  reflection  upon  the  good  faith 
and  honor  of  the  United  States. 

“ The  revolution  in  Texas,  and  the  events  connected  with  it  and  springing 
out  of  it,  are  Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  principal  topic ; and  it  is  in  relation  to 
these  that  his  complaint  is  founded.  His  Government,  he  says,  flatters  it- 
self that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  not  promoted  the  insur- 
rection in  Texas,  favored  the  usurpation  of  its  territory,  or  supplied  the 
rebels  with  vessels,  ammunition,  and  money.  If  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  in- 
tends this  as  a frank  admission  of  the  honest  and  cautious  neutrality  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States  in  the  contest  between  Mexico  and  Texas, 
he  does  that  Government  justice,  and  no  more  than  justice  ; but  if  the  lan- 
guage be  intended  to  intimate  an  opposite  and  a reproachful  meaning,  that 
meaning  is  only  the  more  offensive  for  being  insinuated  rather  than  dis- 
tinctly avowed.  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  would  seem  to  represent  that,  from 
1835  to  the  present  time,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  if  not  their  Gov- 
ernment, have  been  aiding  rebels  in  Texas  in  arms  against  the  lawful  au- 
thority of  Mexico.  This  is  not  a little  extraordinary.  Mexico  may  have 
chosen  to  consider,  and  may  still  choose  to  consider,  Texas  as  having  been 
at  all  times,  since  1835,  and  as  still  continuing,  a rebellious  province  ; but 
the  world  has  been  obliged  to  take  a very  different  view  of  the  matter. 
From  the  time  of  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  in  April,  1836,  to  the  present 
moment,  Texas  has  exhibited  the  same  external  signs  of  national  independ- 
ence as  Mexico  herself,  and  with  quite  as  much  stability  of  Government. 
Practically  free  and  independent,  acknowledged  as  a political  sovereignty 
by  the  principal  Powers  of  the  world,  no  hostile  foot  finding  rest  within 
her  territory  for  six  or  seven  years,  and  Mexico  herself  refraining  for  all 
that  period  from  any  further  attempt  to  re-establish  her  own  authority  over 
that  territory,  it  cannot  but  be  surprising  to  find  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  com- 


296 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


plaining  that,  for  that  whole  period,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  its 
Government,  have  been  favoring  the  rebels  of  Texas,  and  supplying  them 
with  vessels,  ammunition,  and  money,  as  if  the  war  for  the  reduction  of 
the  province  of  Texas  had  been  constantly  prosecuted  by  Mexico,  and  her 
success  prevented  by  these  influences  from  abroad  ! 

“ The  general  facts  appertaining  to  the  settlement  of  Texas,  and  the 
revolution  in  its  Government,  cannot  but  be  well  known  to  Mr.  de  Boca- 
negra.  By  the  treaty  of  the  22d  of  February,  1819,  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain,  the  Sabine  was  adopted  as  the  line  of  boundary  between 
the  two  Powers.  Up  to  that  period,  no  considerable  colonization  had  been 
effected  in  Texas  ; but  the  territory  between  the  Sabine  and  the  Rio  Grande 
being  confirmed  to  Spain  by  the  treaty,  applications  were  made  to  that 
Power  for  grants  of  land ; and  such  grants,  or  permissions  of  settlement 
were,  in  fact,  made  by  the  Spanish  authorities,  in  favor  of  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  proposing  to  emigrate  to  Texas,  in  numerous  families,  before 
the  declaration  of  independence  by  Mexico.  And  these  early  grants  were 
confirmed,  as  is  well  known,  by  successive  acts  of  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, after  its  separation  from  Spain.  In  January,  1823,  a national  coloni- 
zation law  was  passed,  holding  out  strong  inducements  to  all  persons  who 
should  incline  to  undertake  the  settlement  of  uncultivated  lands;  and 
although  the  Mexican  law  prohibited  for  a time  citizens  of  foreign  coun- 
tries from  settling,  as  colonists,  in  territories  immediately  adjoining  such 
foreign  countries,  yet  even  this  restriction  was  afterwards  repealed  or  sus- 
pended ; so  that,  in  fact,  Mexico,  from  the  commencement  of  her  political 
existence,  held  out  the  most  liberal  inducements  to  emigrants  into  her 
territories,  with  full  knowledge  that  these  inducements  were  likely  to  act, 
and  expecting  they  would  act,  with  the  greatest  effect  upon  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  especially  of  the  Southern  States,  whose  agricultural  pur- 
suits naturally  rendered  the  rich  lands  of  Texas,  so  well  suited  to  their 
accustomed  occupation,  objects  of  desire  to  them.  The  early  colonists  of 
the  United  States,  introduced  by  Moses  and  Stephen  Austin  under  these 
inducements  and  invitations,  were  persons  of  most  respectable  character, 
and  their  undertaking  was  attended  with  very  severe  hardships,  occasioned 
in  no  small  degree  by  the  successive  changes  in  the  Government  of  Mexi- 
co. They  nevertheless  persevered,  and  accomplished  a settlement.  And, 
under  the  encouragements  and  allurements  thus  held  out  by  Mexico,  other 
emigrants  followed,  and  many  thousand  colonists  from  the  United  States 
and  elsewhere  had  settled  in  Texas  within  ten  years  from  the  date  of  Mexi- 
can independence.  Having  some  reason  to  complain,  as  they  thought,  of 
the  Government  over  them,  and  especially  of  the  aggressions  of  the  Mexi- 
can military  stationed  in  Texas,  they  sought  relief  by  applying  to  the 


APPENDIX. 


297 


Supreme  Government  for  the  separation  of  Texas  from  Coahuila,  and  for  a 
local  Government  for  Texas  itself.  Not  having  succeeded  in  this  object, 
in  the  process  of  time,  in  the  progress  of  events,  they  saw  fit  to  attempt  an 
entire  separation  from  Mexico,  to  set  up  a Government  of  their  own,  and 
to  establish  a political  sovereignty.  War  ensued ; and  the  battle  of  San 
Jacinto,  fought  on  the  21st  of  April,  1836,  achieved  their  independence 
The  war  was  from  that  time  at  an  end,  and  in  March  following  the  inde- 
pendence of  Texas  was  formally  acknowledged  by  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  * 

“ In  the  events  leading  to  the  actual  result  of  these  hostilities,  the  United 
States,  had  no  agency,  and  took  no  part.  Its  Government  had,  from  the  first, 
abstained  from  giving  aid  or  succor  to  either  party.  It  knew  its  neutral 
obligations,  and  fairly  endeavored  to  fulfil  them  all.  It  acknowledged  the 
independence  of  Texas  only  when  that  independence  was  an  apparent  and 
an  ascertained  fact ; and  its  example  in  this  particular  has  been  followed 
by  several  of  the  most  considerable  Powers  of  Europe. 

“ It  has  been  sometimes  stated,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  giving  more  reason 
to  the  complaints  of  Mexico,  that,  of  the  military  force  which  acted  against 
Mexico  with  efficiency  and  success  in  1836,  a large  portion  consisted  of 
volunteers  then  fresh  from  the  United  States.  But  this  is  a great  error.  It 
is  well  ascertained,  that  of  those  who  bore  arms  in  the  Texian  ranks  in  the 
battle  of  San  Jacinto,  three-fourths  at  least  were  colonists,  invited  into 
Texas  by  the  grants  and  the  colonization  laws  of  Mexico,  and  called  to  the 
field  by  the  exigencies  of  the  times  in  1836,  from  their  farms  and  other 
objects  of  private  pursuit. 

“ Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  complaint  is  two-fold : first,  that  citizens  of  the 
United  States  have  supplied  the  rebels  in  Texas  with  ammunition,  arms, 
vessels,  money  and  recruits  ; have  publicly  raised  forces  in  their  cities  and 
fitted  out  vessels  in  their  ports,  loaded  them  with  munitions  of  war,  and 
marched  to  commit  hostilities  against  a friendly  nation,  under  the  eye  and 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  public  authorities.  In  all  this,  Mr.  de  Bocanegra 
appears  to  forget  that,  while  the  United  States  are  at  peace  with  Mexico, 
they  are  also  at  peace  with  Texas  ; that  both  stand  on  the  same  footing  of 
friendly  nations  ; that,  since  1837,  the  United  States  have  regarded  Texas 
as  an  independent  sovereignty,  as  much  as  Mexico  ; and  that  trade  and  com- 
merce with  citizens  of  a Government  at  war  with  Mexico  cannot,  on  that 
account,  be  regarded  as  an  intercourse  by  which  assistance  and  succor  are 
given  to  Mexican  rebels.  The  whole  current  of  Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  re- 
marks runs  in  the  same  direction,  as  if  the  independence  of  Texas  had  not 
been  acknowledged.  It  has  been  acknowledged — it  was  acknowledged  in 
1837,  against  the  remonstrance  and  protest  of  Mexico ; and  most  of  the 

14* 


298 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


acts  of  any  importance,  of  which  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  complains,  flow  neces- 
sarily from  that  recognition.  He  speaks  of  Texas  as  still  being  4 an  integral 
part  of  the  territory  of  the  Mexican  Republic  but  he  cannot  but  under- 
stand that  the  United  States  do  not  so  regard  it.  The  real  complaint  of 
Mexico,  therefore,  is,  in  substance,  neither  more  nor  less  than  a complaint 
against  the  recognition  of  Texan  independence.  It  may  be  thought  rather 
late  to  repeat  that  complaint,  and  not  quite  just  to  confine  it  to  the  United 
States,  to  the  exemption  of  England,  France,  and  Belgium,  unless  the  Unit- 
ed States,  having  been  the  first  to  acknowledge  the  independence  of  Mexi- 
co herself,  are  to  be  blamed  for  setting  an  example  for  the  recognition  of 
that  of  Texas.  But  it  is  still  true  that  Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  specification  of 
his  grounds  of  complaint  and  remonstrance  is  mainly  confined  to  such 
transactions  and  occurrences  as  are  the  natural  consequence  of  the  political 
relations  existing  between  Texas  and  the  United  States.  Acknowledging 
Texas  to  be  an  independent  nation,  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
of  course,  allows  and  encourages  lawful  trade  and  commerce  between  the 
two  countries.  If  articles  contraband  of  war  be  found  mingled  with  this 
commerce,  while  Mexico  and  Texas  are  belligerent  States,  Mexico  has  the 
right  to  intercept  the  transit  of  such  articles  to  her  enemy.  This  is  the 
common  right  of  all  belligerents,  and  belongs  to  Mexico  in  the  same  extent 
as  to  other  nations.  But  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  is  quite  well  aware  that  it  is 
not  the  practice  of  nations  to  undertake  to  prohibit  their  own  subjects,  by 
previous  laws,  from  trafficking  in  articles  contraband  of  war.  Such  trade 
is  carried  on  at  the  risk  of  those  engaged  in  it,  under  the  liabilities  and 
penalties  prescribed  by  the  law  of  nations  or  by  particular  treaties.  If  it 
be  true,  therefore,  that  citizens  of  the  United  States  have  been  engaged  in 
a commerce  by  which  Texas,  an  enemy  of  Mexico,  has  been  supplied  with 
arms  and  munitions  of  war,  the  Government  of  the  United  States  never- 
theless was  not  bound  to  prevent  it,  could  not  have  prevented  it  without 
a manifest  departure  from  the  principles  of  neutrality,  and  is  in  no  way 
answerable  for  the  consequences.  The  treaty  of  the  5th  of  April,  1831, 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  itself,  shows  most  clearly  how  little 
foundation  there  is  for  the  complaint  of  trading  with  Texas,  if  Texas  is 
to  be  regarded  as  a public  enemy  of  Mexico.  The  16th  article  declares, 
4 It  shall  likewise  be  lawful  for  the  aforesaid  citizens,  respectively,  to  sail 
with  their  vessels  and  merchandise  before  mentioned,  and  to  trade,  with  the 
same  liberty  and  security,  from  the  places,  ports,  and  havens  of  those  who 
are  enemies  of  both  or  either  party,  without  any  opposition  or  disturbance 
whatsoever,  not  only  directly  from  the  places  of  the  enemy  before  men- 
tioned to  neutral  places,  but  also  from  one  place  belonging  to  an  enemy  to 


APPENDIX. 


299 


another  place  belonging  to  an  enemy,  whether  they  be  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  same  Government,  or  under  several.’ 

“ The  18th  article  enumerates  those  commodities  which  shall  be  regarded 
as  contraband  of  war ; but  neither  that  article,  nor  any  other,  imposes  on 
either  nation  any  duty  of  preventing,  by  previous  regulation,  commerce  in 
such  articles.  Such  commerce  is  left  to  its  ordinary  fate,  according  to  the 
law  of  nations.  It  is  only,  therefore,  by  insisting,  as  Mr.  de  Bocanegra 
does  insist,  that  Texas  is  still  a part  of  Mexico,  that  he  can  maintain  any 
complaint.  Let  it  be  repeated,  therefore,  that  if  the  things  against  which 
he  remonstrates  be  wrong,  they  have  their  source  in  the  original  wrong  of 
the  acknowledgment  of  Texian  independence.  But  that  acknowledgment 
is  not  likely  to  be  retracted. 

“ There  can  be  no  doubt  at  all  that,  for  the  last  six  years,  the  trade  in 
articles  contraband  of  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  has  been 
greater  than  between  the  United  States  and  Texas.  It  is  probably  greater 
at  the  present  moment.  Why  has  not  Texas  a right  to  complain  of  this  ? 
For  no  reason,  certainly,  but  because  the  permission  to  trade,  or  the  actual 
trading,  by  the  citizens  of  a Government,  in  articles  contraband  of  war,  is 
not  a breach  of  neutrality. 

“ Mr.  de  Bocanegra  professes  himself  unable  to  comprehend  how  those 
persons  of  whom  he  complains  have  been  able  to  evade  the  punishment 
decreed  against  them  by  the  laws  of  the  United  States ; but  he  does  not 
appear  to  have  a clear  idea  of  the  principles  or  provisions  of  those  laws. 
The  duties  of  neutral  nations  in  time  of  war  are  prescribed  by  the  law  of 
nations,  which  is  imperative  and  binding  upon  all  Governments ; and 
nations  not  unfrequently  establish  municipal  regulations  for  the  better 
government  of  the  conduct  of  their  subjects  or  citizens. 

“ This  has  been  done  by  the  United  States,  in  order  to  maintain,  with 
greater  certainty,  a strict  and  impartial  neutrality,  pending  war  between 
other  countries.  And  wherever  a violation  of  neutral  duties,  as  they 
exist  by  the  law  of  nations,  or  any  breach  of  its  own  laws,  has  been  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  Government,  attention  has  always  been  paid  to  it. 

“ At  an  early  period  of  the  Texian  revolution,  strict  orders  were  given  by 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  to  all  officers  on  the  South  and  South- 
western frontier,  to  take  care  that  those  laws  should  be  observed ; and  the 
attention  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  has  not  been  called  to 
any  specific  violation  of  them,  since  the  manifestation  on  the  part  of 
Mexico  of  an  intention  to  renew  hostilities  with  Texas ; and  all  officers  of 
the  Government  remain  charged  with  the  strict  and  faithful  execution  of 
these  laws.  On  a recent  occasion,  complaint  was  made,  by  the  represen- 


300 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


tatives  of  Texas,  that  an  armament  was  fitted  out  in  the  United  States  for 
the  service  of  Mexico  against  Texas. 

“ Two  vessels  of  war,  it  was  alleged,  built  or  purchased  in  the  United 
States,  for  the  use  of  the  Government  of  Mexico,  and  well  understood  as 
intended  to  be  employed  against  Texas,  were  equipped  and  ready  to  sail 
from  the  waters  of  New  York.  The  case  was  carefully  inquired  into, 
official  examination  was  made,  and  legal  counsel  invoked.  It  appeared  to 
be  a case  of  great  doubt ; but  Mexico  was  allowed  the  benefit  of  that  doubt, 
and  the  vessels  left  the  United  States,  with  the  whole  or  a part  of  their 
armament  actually  on  board.  The  same  administration  of  even-handed 
justice,  the  same  impartial  execution  of  the  laws,  towards  all  parties,  will 
continue  to  be  observed. 

“ If  forces  have  been  raised  in  the  United  States,  or  vessels  fitted  out  in 
their  ports  for  Texian  service,  contrary  to  law,  no  instance  of  which  has  as 
yet  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Government,  prompt  attention  will  be 
paid  to  the  first  case,  and  to  all  cases  which  may  be  made  known  to  it. 
As  to  advances,  loans,  or  donations  of  money  or  goods,  made  by  individuals 
to  the  Government  of  Texas  or  its  citizens,  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  hardly  needs 
to  be  informed  that  there  is  nothing  unlawful  in  this,  so  long  as  Texas  is  at 
peace  with  the  United  States,  and  that  these  are  things  which  no  Govern- 
ment undertakes  to  restrain.  Other  citizens  are  equally  at  liberty,  should 
they  be  so  inclined,  to  show  their  good  will  towards  Mexico  by  the  same 
means.  Still  less  can  the  Government  of  the  United  States  be  called  upon 
to  interfere  with  opinions  uttered  in  the  public  assemblages  of  a free  peo- 
ple, accustomed  to  the  independent  expression  of  their  sentiments,  result- 
ing in  no  violation  of  the  laws  of  their  country,  or  of  its  duties  as  a neutral 
State.  Towards  the  United  States,  Mexico  and  Texas  stand  in  the  same 
relation — as  independent  States  at  war.  Of  the  character  of  that  war  man- 
kind will  form  their  own  opinions  : and  in  the  United  States,  at  least,  the 
utterance  of  those  opinions  cannot  be  suppressed. 

“ The  second  part  of  Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  complaint  is  thus  stated : ‘ No 
sooner  does  the  Mexican  Government,  in  the  exercise  of  its  rights,  which 
it  cannot  and  does  not  desire  to  renounce,  prepare  means  to  recover  a pos- 
session usurped  from  it,  than  the  whole  population  of  the  United  States, 
especially  in  the  Southern  States,  is  in  commotion ; and  in  the  most  public 
manner,  a large  portion  of  them  is  directed  upon  Texas.’ 

“ And  how  does  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  suppose  that  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  can  prevent,  or  is  bound  to  undertake  to  prevent,  the  peo- 
ple from  thus  going  to  Texas  ? This  is  emigration — the  same  emigration, 
though  not  under  the*  same  circumstances,  which  Mexico  invited  to  Texas 
before  the  revolution.  These  persons,  so  far  as  is  known  to  the  Govern- 


APPENDIX. 


301 


ment  of  the  United  States,  repair  to  Texas,  not  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  but  as  ceasing  to  be  such  citizens,  and  as  changing  at  the  same  time 
their  allegiance  and  their  domicil.  Should  they  return,  after  having  entered 
into  the  service  of  a foreign  State,  still  claiming  to  be  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  it  will  be  for  the  authorities  of  the  United  States  Government  to 
determine  how  far  they  have  violated  the  municipal  laws  of  the  country, 
and  what  penalties  they  have  incurred.  The  Government  of  the  United 
States  does  not  maintain,  and  never  has  maintained,  the  doctrine  of  the 
perpetuity  of  natural  allegiance.  And  surely  Mexico  maintains  no  such 
doctrine ; because  her  actually  existing  Government,  like  that  of  the  United 
States,  is  founded  in  the  principle  that  men  may  throw  off  the  obligation 
of  that  allegiance  to  which  they  are  born.  The  Government  of  the  United 
States,  from  its  origin,  has  maintained  legal  provisions  for  the  naturaliza- 
tion of  such  subjects  of  foreign  States  as  may  choose  to  come  hither,  make 
their  home  in  the  country,  and  renouncing  their  former  allegiance,  and  com- 
plying with  certain  stated  requisitions,  to  take  upon  themselves  the  char- 
acter of  citizens  of  this  Government.  Mexico  herself  has  laws  granting 
equal  facilities  to  the  naturalization  of  foreigners.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
United  States  have  not  passed  any  law  restraining  their  own  citizens,  native 
or  naturalized,  from  leaving  the  country  and  forming  political  relations 
elsewhere.  Nor  do  other  Governments,  in  modern  times,  attempt  any  such 
thing.  It  is  true  that  there  are  Governments  which  assert  the  principle  of 
perpetual  allegiance ; yet,  even  in  cases  where  this  is  not  rather  a matter 
of  theory  than  practice,  the  duties  of  this  supposed  continuing  allegiance 
are  left  to  be  demanded  of  the  subject  himself,  when  within  the  reach  of 
the  power  of  his  former  Government,  and  as  exigencies  may  arise,  and  are 
not  attempted  to  be  enforced  by  the  imposition  of  previous  restraint,  pre- 
venting men  from  leaving  their  country. 

“ Upon  this  subject  of  the  emigration  of  individuals  from  neutral  to  belli- 
gerent States,  in  regard  to  which  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  appears  so  indignant, 
we  must  be  allowed  to  bring  Mexico  into  her  own  presence,  to  compare 
her  with  herself,  and  respectfully  invite  her  to  judge  the  matter  by  her  own 
principles  and  her  own  conduct.  In  her  great  struggle  against  Spain,  for 
her  own  independence,  did  she  not  open  her  arms  wide  to  receive  all  who 
would  come  to  her  from  any  part  of  the  world  ? And  did  not  multitudes 
flock  to  her  new-raised  standard  of  liberty,  from  the  United  States,  from 
England,  Ireland,  France,  and  Italy,  many  of  whom  distinguished  them- 
selves in  her  service,  both  by  sea  and  land  ? She  does  not  appear  to  have 
supposed  that  the  Governments  of  these  persons,  thus  coming  to  unite 
their  fate  with  hers,  were,  by  allowing  the  emigration,  even  pending  a 
civil  war,  furnishing  just  cause  of  offence  to  Spain.  Even  in  her  military 


302 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


operations  against  Texas,  Mexico  employed  many  foreign  emigrants ; and 
it  may  be  thought  remarkable  that,  in  those  very  operations,  not  long  be- 
fore the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  a native  citizen  of  the  United  States  held 
high  command  in  her  service,  and  performed  feats  of  no  mean  significance 
in  Texas.  Of  that  toleration,  therefore,  as  she  calls  it,  and  which  she  now 
so  warmly  denounces,  Mexico  in  that  hour  of  her  emergency  embraced 
the  benefits,  eagerly,  and  to  the  full  extent  of  her  power.  May  we  not 
ask,  then,  how  she  can  reconcile  her  present  complaints  with  her  own 
practice,  as  well  as  how  she  accounts  for  so  long  and  unbroken  a silence 
upon  a subject  on  which  her  remonstrance  is  now  so  loud  ? 

“ Spain  chose  to  regard  Mexico  only  in  the  light  of  a rebellious  province 
for  near  twenty  years  after  she  had  asserted  her  own  independence.  Does 
Mexico  now  admit  that,  for  all  that  period,  notwithstanding  her  practical 
emancipation  from  Spanish  power,  it  was  unlawful  for  the  subjects  and 
citizens  of  other  Governments  to  carry  on  with  her  the  ordinary  business  of 
commerce,  or  to  accept  her  tempting  offers  to  emigrants  ? 

“ Certainly  such  is  not  her  opinion. 

“ Might  it  not  be  asked,  then,  even  if  the  United  States  had  not  already 
and  long  ago  acknowledged  the  independence  of  Texas,  how  long  they 
should  be  expected  to  wait  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  now,  exist- 
ing only  in  purpose  and  intention,  of  the  resubjugation  of  that  territory  by 
Mexico  ? 

“ How  long,  let  it  be  asked,  in  the  judgment  of  Mexico  herself,  is  the  fact 
of  actual  independence  to  be  held  of  no  avail  against  an  avowed  purpose 
of  future  reconquest  ? 

“ Mr.  de  Bocanegra  is  pleased  to  say  that,  if  war  actually  existed  between 
the  two  countries,  proceedings  more  hostile,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
could  not  have  taken  place  than  have  taken  place,  nor  the  insurgents  of 
Texas  obtained  more  effectual  co-operation  than  they  have  obtained. 

“ This  opinion,  however  hazardous  to  the  discernme.nt  and  just  estimate 
of  things  of  those  who  avow  it,  is  yet  abstract  and  theoretical,  and,  so  far, 
harmless. 

“ The  efficiency  of  American  hostility  to  Mexico  has  never  been  tried ; 
the  Government  has  no  desire  to  try  it.  It  would  not  disturb  the  peace  for 
the  sake  of  showing  how  erroneously  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  has  reasoned,  while, 
on  the  other  hand,  it  trusts  that  a just  hope  may  be  entertained  that  Mexico 
will  not  inconsiderately  and  needlessly  hasten  into  an  experiment  by 
which  the  truth  or  fallacy  of  his  sentiments  may  be  brought  to  an  actual 
ascertainment. 

“ Mr.  de  Bocanegra  declares,  in  conclusion,  that  his  Government  finds 
itself  under  the  necessity  of  protesting  solemnly  against  the  aggressions 


APPENDIX. 


303 


which  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  are  reiterating  upon  the  Mexican 
territory,  and  of  declaring,  in  a positive  manner,  that  it  will  consider  as  a 
violation  of  the  treaty  of  amity  the  toleration  of  that  course  of  conduct 
which  he  alleges  inflicts  on  the  Mexican  Republic  the  injuries  and  incon- 
veniences of  war.  The  President  exceedingly  regrets  both  the  sentiment 
and  the  manner  of  this  declaration.  But  it  can  admit  but  of  one  answer. 
The  Mexican  Government  appears  to  require  that  which  could  not  be 
granted,  in  whatever  language  or  whatever  tone  requested.  The  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States  is  a government  of  law.  The  Chief  Execu- 
tive Magistrate,  as  well  as  functionaries  in  every  other  Department, 
is  restrained  and  guided  by  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  of  the 
land.  Neither  the  Constitution,  nor  the  law  of  the  land,  nor  principles 
known  to  the  usages  of  modern  States,  authorizes  him  to  interdict  lawful 
trade  between  the  United  States  and  Texas,  or  to  prevent,  or  attempt  to 
prevent,  individuals  from  leaving  the  United  States  for  Texas  or  any  other 
foreign  country. 

“ If  such  individuals  enter  into  the  service  of  Texas,  or  any  other  foreign 
State,  the  Government  of  the  United  States  no  longer  holds  over  them  the 
shield  of  its  protection.  They  must  stand  or  fall  in  their  newly  assumed 
character,  and  according  to  the  fortunes  which  may  betide  it.  But  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  cannot  be  called  upon  to  prevent  their  emi- 
gration ; and  it  must  be  added,  that  the  Constitution,  public  treaties,  and 
the  laws,  oblige  the  President  to  regard  Tejfas  as  an  independent  State,  and 
its  territory  as  no  part  of  the  territory  of  Mexico.  Every  provision  of  law, 
every  principle  of  neutral  obligation,  will  be  sedulously  enforced  in  relation 
to  Mexico,  as  in  relation  to  other  Powers,  and  to  the  same  extent,  and  with 
the  same  integrity  of  purpose.  All  this  belongs  to  the  constitutional  power 
and  duty  of  the  Government,  and  it  will  all  be  fulfilled.  But  the  continu- 
ance of  amity  with  Mexico  cannot  be  purchased  at  any  higher  rate.  If  the 
peace  of  the  two  countries  is  to  be  disturbed,  the  responsibility  will  de- 
volve on  Mexico.  She  must  be  answerable  for  consequences.  The  United 
States,  let  it  be  again  repeated,  desire  peace.  It  would  be  with  infinite 
pain  that  they  should  find  themselves  in  hostile  relations  with  any  of  the 
new  Governments  on  this  continent.  But  their  Government  is  regulated, 
limited,  full  of  the  spirit  of  liberty,  but  surrounded,  nevertheless,  with  just 
restraints  ; and  greatly  and  fervently  as  it  desires  peace  with  all  States,  and 
especially  with  its  more  immediate  neighbors,  yet  no  fear  of  a different 
state  of  things  can  be  allowed  to  interrupt  its  course  of  equal  and  exact 
justice  to  all  nations,  nor  to  jostle  it  out  of  the  constitutional  orbit  in 
which  it  revolves. 

“ I am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

“ Waddy  Thompson,  Jr.,  Esq.,  &c.  “ DANIEL  WEBSTER. 


304 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MEXICO. 


[“  Mr.  Webster  to  Mr.  Thompson.'] 

“ Department  of  State, 

“ Washington , July  13,  1842. 

**  Sir  : After  writing  to  you  on  the  8th  instant,  I received,  through  the 
same  channel  as  the  former,  Mr.  de  Bocanegra’s  second  letter,  and  at  the 
same  time  your  despatch  of  the  6th  of  June,  and  your  private  letter  of  the 
21st.  This  last  letter  of  Mr.  de  Bocanegra  was  written,  as  you  will  see, 
before  it  was  possible  for  him  to  expect  an  answer  to  his  first,  which  an- 
swer is  now  forwarded,  and  shows  the  groundless  nature  of  the  complaints 
of  Mexico.  The  letter  itself  is  highly  exceptionable  and  offensive.  It 
imputes  violations  of  honor  and  good  faith  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  not  only  in  the  most  unjust  but  in  the  most  indecorous  man- 
ner. You  have  not  spoken  of  it  in  terms  too  strong  in  your  circular  to  the 
members  of  the  diplomatic  corps. 

“ On  the  receipt  of  this,  you  will  write  a note  to  Mr.  de  Bocanegra,  in 
which  you  will  say  that  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States,  on  the 
9th  of  July,  received  his  letter  of  the  31st  of  May.  That  the  President  of 
the  United  States  considers  the  language  and  tone  of  that  letter  derogatory 
to  the  character  of  the  United  States,  and  highly  offensive,  as  it  imputes  to 
their  Government  a direct  breach  of  faith ; and  that  he  directs  that  no 
other  answer  be  given  to  it,  than  the  declaration  that  the  conduct  of  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  in  regard  to  the  war  between  Mexico  and 
Texas,  having  been  always  hitherto  governed  by  a strict  and  impartial 
regard  to  its  neutral  obligations,  will  not  be  changed  or  altered  in  any 
respect  or  in  any  degree.  If  for  this  the  Government  of  Mexico  shall  see 
fit  to  change  the  relations  at  present  existing  between  the  two  countries, 
the  responsibility  remains  with  herself. 

“ I am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

“ DANIEL  WEBSTER. 

“ Waddy  Thompson,  Esq.,  Envoy  Extraordinary  and 

Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States,  Mexico” 


NEW  AND  VALUABLE 

BOOKS, 


PUBLISHED  BY 


WILEY  AND  PIJTNAM. 


NEW  YORK: 


1846. 


ii 


WILEY  AND  PUTNAM’S  ADVERTISEMENT 


“We  pronounce  it  a work  of  uncommon  interest  and  merit.” — Rover. 

“ This  is  the  title  o,  a book  just  issued  by  Wiley  & Putnam,  as  No.  1 d( 
their  proposed  Library  of  American  Books,  a series  intended  to  em- 
brace original  works  of  merit  and  interest,  from  the  pens  of  American 
authors.  The  design  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  successful.  We  have  a firm 
faith  that  books  well  worth  reading, — as  well  worth  it  as  English  books  of 
the  same  class, — can  be  produced  in  this  country ; and  such  books,  and 
tuch  only,  we  presume  Messrs.  Wiley  Se  Putnam  intend  to  publish  in  their 
series.  This  first  number  is  well  worthy  of  its  place.  It  is  the  journal  of 
an  officer  on  board  an  American  cruiser.on  the  coast  of  Africa, — and  relates 
to  a field  hitherto  almost  entirely  unnoticed  by  travelling  authors.  It  is 
written  in  a plain,  straightforward,  unambitious  style,  and  evinces  a very 
keen  talent  for  observation,  and  sound  judgment  and  enlightened  discrimi- 
nation. The  book  is  edited  by  Nathaniel  Hawthorne,  one  of  the  most 
gifted  writers  in  this  country,  whose  works,  we  trust,  will  find  a place  in 
this  series.  The  volume  is  very  handsomely  printed,  and  sold  at  fifty 
cents.” — New  York  Courier. 

“ This  is  a pleasantly  written  Journal  of  a cruise  to  the  western  coast  of 
Africa,  and  embodies  a good  amount  of  valuable  information.  The  author 
spent  some  time  at  Liberia,  and  gives  quite  a flattering  account  of  the  colo- 
ny. We  like  the  spirit  of  the  work,  and  especially  admire  the  simplicity 
and  grace  of  its  style.” — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

No.  II. 

POE’S  TALES. 

Tales.  By  Edgar  A.  Poe.  1 vol.,  beautifully  printed  in  large  clear  type, 
on  fine  paper,  50  cents. 

This  collection  includes  the  most  characteristic  of  the  peculiar  series 
of  Tales  written  by  Mr.  Poe.  Among  others  will  be  found  “ The  Murders 
of  the  Rue  Morgue,”  “ The  Purloined  Letter,”  “ Marie  Roget,”  “ The 
House  of  Usher,”  “ The  Black  Cat,”  “ The  Gold  Bug,”  “ The  Descent 
into  the  Maelstrom,”  “ The  Premature  Burial,”  “ Mesmeric  Revelations,” 
Sec.,  Sec. 

“ Most  characteristic  tales  and  stories.” — Boston  Courier 

“ These  effusions  are  well  known,  and  have  been  well  appreciated.  Mr. 
Poe’s  singular  and  powerful  style  of  prose  writing,  has  a charm  which 
ought  to  be  enjoyed  more  than  once.” — U.  S.  Gazette. 

“ Mr.  Poe’s  tales  are  written  with  much  power,  while  all  possess  deep 
interest.” — Phila.  Inquirer. 

“ There  are  many  writers  in  this  country  whose  articles  only  see  the 
light  in  the  pages  of  a two  or  three  dollar  magazine,  who  are  at  least  equal 
to  some  foreign  authors  whose  works  are  reprinted  here  in  the  cheap  and 
nasty  style  by  the  cart-load.  The  consequence  is  that  our  own  authors  are 
scarcely  heard  of,  while  Mrs.  Gore  and  Mary  Howitt,  Lover,  Lever,  &.C., 
fe-c  , are  lauded  and  read  the  country  ovei  This  is  all  wrong,  and  we 


WILEY  AND  PUTNAM’S  ADVERTISEMENT. 


iii 


cordially  wish  the  publishers  success  in  the  effort  to  make  us  better  ac- 
quainted with  American  Literature.  These  Tales  by  Mr.  Poe  will  be 
hailed  as  a rare  treat  by  all  lovers  of  the  exciting  and  the  marvellous. 
Fuli  of  more  than  German  mysticism,  grotesque,  strange,  improbable,  but 
intensely  interesting,  they  will  be  read  and  remembered  when  better  things 
are  forgotten.” — New  Haven  Courier. 

“ Mr.  Poe’s  tales  need  no  aid  of  newspaper  comment  to  give  them  popu- 
larity; they  have  secured  it.  We  are  glad  to  see  them  given  to  the  public 
in  this  neat  form,  so  that  thousands  more  may  be  entertained  by  them 
without  injury  to  their  eye-sight.” 

“ Tales  of  absorbing  interest,  by  a powerful  and  vigorous  writer.” — Rover 

“ These  tales  are  among  the  most  original  and  characteristic  compositions 
in  American  letters.  In  their  collected  form,  they  cannot  fail  to  make  a 
forcible  impression  on  the  reading  public.  The  volume  is  a great  stimu- 
lant to  reflection.” — Graham's  Magazine. 

“ Mr.  Poe  is  a capital  artist  with  all  Tennyson’s  spirituality.” — Foreign 
Quarterly  Review. 

“ These  tales  are  eminently  distinguished  by  a wild,  vigorous,  and  poeti- 
cal imagination,  a rich  style,  a fertile  invention,  and  varied  and  curious 
learning.  * * * Of  singular  force  and  beauty.” — Hon.  J.  P.  Kennedy . 

“ Lionizing,  by  Edgar  A.  Poe,  is  the  happiest  travestie  of  the  coxcomb- 
ical egotism  of  travelling  scribblers  I have  ever  seen.  Mr.  Poe  is  decidedly 
the  best  of  all  our  young  writers  ; I don’t  know  but  1 may  say  of  all  our 
old  ones.” — J.  K.  Paulding. 

“ Mr.  Poe  has  distinguished  himself  in  every  walk  of  literature,  and  it 
may  be  doubted  whether  the  country  boasts  a writer  of  greater  fervor  and 
more  varied  and  finished  accomplishments.  In  the  field  of  romance,  he  has 
the  rare  merit  of  originality.” — Hon.  R.  T.  Conrad. 

“ That  powerful  pen  whose  versatile  and  brilliant  creations  I have  so 
often  admired.” — Mrs.  Sigourney. 

« These  tales  have  been  admired  wherever  they  have  been  perused  by 
men  of  mind.  Mr.  Poe  is  no  imitator  in  story-telling.”— Phila.  Saturday 
Cour. 

“ The  most  remarkable  American  work  of  fiction  that  has  been  published 
within  the  last  fifteen  years.” — Phil.  Museum. 

“ Mr.  Poe  is  one  of  those  original,  philosophical  writers  of  whom  we 
have  too  few ; his  tales  produce  a deep  and  'thrilling  interest.”—  N.  Y. 
Courier. 

« This  author  can  throw  a chain  of  enchantment  around  any  scene  which 
he  attempts  to  describe.”—  Ba It imore  Visiter. 

“ The  reputation  of  this  author  is  preeminent  for  originality,  independ- 
ence, a perfect  command  of  the  English  language,  and  a certain  eas^  and 


iv 


WILEY  AND  PUTNAM’S  ADVERTISEMENT 


assured  mastery  of  every  subject  which  he  handles.  ‘ The  Murders  in  th® 
Rue  Morgue,’  and  * The  Black  Cat,’  are  stories  in  totally  different  styles, 
showing  versatility  of  power,  but  affording  only  a glimpse  of  the  rich  re- 
sources of  his  invention.” — Lady’s  Book. 

“ In  No.  2,  which  is  composed  of  miscellaneous  tales,  by  Poe,  we  are 
favored  with  some  fine  specimens  of  the  genius  of  that  author,  who  takes 
so  high  a stand  among  our  American  fiction  writers  and  poets.  A glance 
at  some  of  the  tales  convinces  us  that  Mr.  Poe’s  exuberance  of  fancy  dis- 
plays itself  in  these,  as  in  his  previous  writings.  It  is  well  for  our  pub- 
lishers that  the  fountains  from  which  they  can  draw,  like  those  of  our 
author’s  mind,  are  inexhaustible.” — Merchant’s  Mag. 

No.  III. 

LETTERS  FROM  ITALY. 

Letters  from  Italy.  By  J.  T.  Headley.  1 vol.,  beautifully  printed,  50  cts 

“ Mr.  Headley  is  essentially  an  artist.  He  does  not  copy  but  he  paints. 
He  professes  to  report  to  us  not  so  much  Italy  as  his  views  of  it.  The 
scenes  he  sketches  are  vivified  by  the  hues  of  his  own  emotions.  The 
spirit  of  philosophy  and  of  poetry  is  in  him  ; or  rather,  we  should  say,  he 
is  in  the  frame  of  his  mind  a poet,  for  the  true  poet  and  true  philosopher 
are  identical,  and  no  man  can  be  the  one  without  being  also  the  other.  His 
letters  breathe  the  air  of  the  sweet  South — the  spell  of  the  land  of  music 
and  of  painting  is  upon  him  ; he  has  caught  its  inspiration,  and  it  has  made 
him  eloquent.  But  he  loves  wisely.  The  natural  beauties  of  the  clime, 
the  wonders  of  art  which  almost  live  and  breathe  beneath  that  blue  sky, 
the  memories  that  hallow  every  footstep,  do  not  throw  him  into  convul- 
sions, nor  do  they  blind  him  to  the  degradations  and  deformities,  physical 
and  moral,  into  which  the  people  of  that  land  have  fallen.  If  we  linger 
over  these  letters  longer  than  is  our  wont,  it  is  because  it  is  a better  book 
than  it  is  our  lot  often  to  review.” — London  Critic. 

“ This  is  a pleasantly  written  volume,  thrown  off  in  a genial  spirit,  and 
abounding  in  brilliant  sketches  of  manners,  and  picturesque  descriptions  of 
scenery.” — Grahatn’s  Mag. 

“ We  are  strongly  impressed  with  their  merit.” — Rover. 

“ On  the  whole  it  is  very  amusing,  and  sufficiently  creditable  to  stand  m 
the  Library  of  American  Books.” — Smith’s  Weekly  Vol. 

“ If  there  be  a more  delightful  series  of  Letters  extant,  we  have  never 
seen  them.  The  style  of  the  writer  is  easy,  graceful  and  spirited.  His 
power  of  description  is  of  the  highest  order.” — Cincin.  Herald. 

“ The  work  before  us  is  decidedly  the  best,  in  its  line,  that  we  have  mei 
with  for  a long  while.  True,  some  of  the  scenes  which  the  author  depicts 
have  often  been  handled  by  tourists ; but  never  in  a more  graphic  and  in- 
teresting style.  There  are  no  attempts  at  filling  up — no  description  of 
trifling  or  unimportant  features  in  the  scenes,  manners  or  customs  of  Italy, 
but  faithful  and  spirited  narrations  of  such  things  only  as  are  calculated  to 


